HiE - A Hollow in Equestria
by The masked author1
Summary: After his death in Las Noches Ulquiorra Cifer finds himself in the land of Equestria through the actions of Discord.
1. Chapter 1

**A Hollow in Equestria**

**Chapter Zero**

If there was one word Ulquiorra Cifer would use above all others to describe his current surroundings it would be emptiness. A dark void was all that greeted him regardless of wherever he may look. No light or sound, no temperature or wind, just a black void and him. He was alone here in the utter nothingness, and that was fine with him. It was strangely familiar, like the vast deserts of Hueco Mundo, but devoid of the white sands and dead trees. He couldn't find any reason to care really.

His body refused to move and obey his commands, his limbs seeming as if they were made of tungsten; not that he was in need of moving right now but it was an observation his conscious mind wouldn't help but make. With no discernible landmarks he couldn't identify his location or even his basic position, but for some reason he believed that he was currently horizontal in a lying position facing upward. Regardless of whatever attempt he made to move his eyes he was unable to truly see anything other than the surrounding blackness; not even his own body which would serve as a stark contrast with its white coloring.

Another observation: despite his attempts to examine his surroundings he felt nothing. No outside forces could theoretically be understood given the visual nature of his surroundings, but a lack of inside forces he could not explain. Despite attempts to move his body he didn't feel any struggle with its disobedience, rather he felt nothing at all. Even attempting to move his eyes produced no sensation. Nor was there any detectable sensations from his efforts to blink or to form words. With that brought yet another observation: with their being no sound in this void there was also no way to hear his own voice when he spoke. Not that he was in any need of his ability to speak as it was just him here.

Perhaps this was what the "hell" realm that the human woman had mentioned. Was he currently in hell?

_"Most certainly not dear boy! At least not quite yet!"_

If his eyes were not open they would have snapped open at the sudden intrusion to the silence he had begun settling himself into. He was certain that was not a voice he had imagined as it was not a voice he had ever heard before and had no reason to recall it. The dialect sounded strange. Was the voice addressing him?

_"Yes I'm addressing you! Do you see anyone else in this dark and dreary place I'd be talking to?"_

Curious. Whatever the origin of the voice it seemed that it was able to detect what he was thinking and respond as if an actual conversation was being held. Perhaps a series of tests were in order to determine the nature of the voice and gauge it's limitations. What was his true opinion of Sosuke Aizen?

_"I'm not a mind reader dear boy! This would so much simpler if you would address me directly instead of thinking so much!"_

More curious by the second. If nothing else this latest development would at least provide something to focus on. There were many questions that could be asked right now, many pieces of the current puzzle to gather. However one stuck out more than others and seemed the most logical choice to ask right now.

"If this is not the realm humans refer to as hell then what is it?" he asked even though he couldn't hear or feel his own pronunciations.

_"Everywhere and nowhere really. A crossroads between the various dimensions. You're technically between the realm of the living and the dead for hollows and every other living being."_

A cryptic answer devoid of anything solid or logical. Frustrating.

"For what purpose was I brought to this location?" he asked.

_"That wasn't my doing dear boy. You came to this dimension after your battle with Ichigo Kurosaki when your body disintegrated."_

"Who are you? For what purpose did you come here?"

_"Who I am isn't important. As to my purpose that's where things get interesting. I'm aware of you, Ulquiorra Cifer, and I've come to offer you a second chance at life, free from being commanded by Sosuke Aizen and his like, free to do as you wish without having to take orders from anyone! How does that sound to you?"_

"For what purpose would you make such an offer?"

_"Never you mind that right now. The point is I've come to offer you an escape from this_ boring _void. Anyone would want that if presented with the opportunity. All you need do is accept my offer. Whadda you say?"_

"Assuming I accept your offer will I be returned to Hueco Mundo?"

_"I'm afraid that's not within my powers. You'll be able to retain your form, your memories, your strength and your abilities but you'll be in a new world different from what you knew. What you do once you arrive there will be up to you but you will be your own entity. No more listening to a_ shinigami _and taking orders from one who's supposed to be your mortal enemy. In fact there will be absolutely_ no _shinigami in this world so you can reign supreme in the matter."_

"Such generosity doesn't come without its price. What are you asking of me in return?"

_"Never you mind about that dear boy. The simple truth is that if you don't accept my offer you'll continue to remain here in this emptiness in your current state. Surely you don't consider that to be an acceptable alternative to what's being offered before you."_

"I have no reason to trust you in your claims. However I also lack sufficient reason to distrust you other than the simple fact that I know nothing of who or what you are. You may very well be "the devil" that the woman referred to. However lacking extensive knowledge isn't always a valid reason to discount a beneficial offer. There is certainly little that could be worse than indefinitely remaining in the nothingness before me. For the time being I shall accept your offer."

_"Wonderful! Simply wonderful my dear boy! Oh this is going to be so much fun!"_

Hearing the...excitement...of the disembodied voice gave reason for concern. Perhaps he was too hasty in making the decision to accept the offer that was presented before him.

* * *

A low grumble could be heard as well as felt, reminding Princess Celestia that she was currently hungry. A snack from the royal kitchen was definitely appealing right now but she had to show restraint. In less than an hour her sister Luna would be awakening and they would be sharing their evening meal; dinner for her, breakfast for her sister. The chocolate cake would simply have to wait for another time; maybe a midnight snack would be in order.

However her thoughts were currently interrupted by a chuckling inside a throne room that didn't belong to anypony present. This wasn't a matter of great concern as she recognized the chuckle, but that didn't make it any less unpleasant.

"Discord," Celestia spoke firmly yet calmly. "What mischief are you up to this time."

"What, no greetings? No "hi, how are you?" or anything like that? I must say, Celestia, I'm disappointed in your lack of civility towards me," the spirit of chaos stated as he poofed into existence, startling the royal guards at the base of the stars that lead up to her throne.

"I've come to know you far too well in your time free, Discord, and I know you don't chuckle except when you're up to no good. Since your reformation I've cut you a considerable degree of slack regarding your shenaniganisms simply because you've kept the chaos to an acceptable level of mere annoyance. That said I'm not currently feeling quite as forgiving as I normally do. Out of professional courtesy kindly state your business rather than just chuckling mindlessly," Celestia explained. She could already feel a migraine coming on, she was sure of it.

"Straight to business, I can respect that," Discord replied before clearing his throat. "In my efforts to do good deeds as per your orders I've come across a being in need of help and brought them here for a second chance at life. If the "magic of friendship" can do wonders for me then I believe it could do him equal wonders."

"And where did you find this mysterious being?" Celestia asked, finding a measure of intrigue in what was being presented to her.

"At a realm you'd never be familiar with, my dear, it's the crossroads between life and death in another dimension, another reality. This one died far too early to be acceptable and he's of such an interesting quality I just couldn't resist myself!"

Celestia's eye twitched. The crossroads between life and death? Discord normally played with the natural order of the world, and in a few cases she had even sanctioned it. In a few rare occasions where there was great tragedy she had allowed the spirit of chaos to disturb the natural order by retrieving the lost soul of one that had left this world far too early in order to spare the family their suffering for a while longer. But in those cases they had all been related to _this_ dimension and reality, but now Discord was actively going out and bringing back the souls of those who weren't native to their world.

"You know how I feel about pervading the natural order of Equestria, good deeds or no. I can accept that sometimes theirs is a necessary evil that must be tolerated. That said though this is outside the bounds of Equestria. You seek to bring an unknown creature to my land simply because it's interesting and you believe it may benefit from the same lessons my student is currently studying?" she asked as she attempted to restrain her annoyance and fury.

"Precisely! You believed that I was worthy of redemption despite my natural urges, why not this one too? Just because they're not one of your subjects from birth doesn't mean they don't deserve a second chance does it?" Discord asked.

Celestia sighed and closed her eyes, mentally counting to ten in order to compose and control herself. Sometimes she wondered if all the good Discord did was worth the headaches he caused her when he was bored.

"I'll talk to this being and decide for myself whether or not to allow them into Equestria, but I promise nothing at all. Bring them forward for an interview," Celestia huffed.

Discord grinned from ear to mismatched ear and snapped his fingers. In a bright flash and a puff of smoke she saw the strange being standing before them; and it was most definitely strange. It was of a bipedal nature similar to Discord but possessed no tail in order to balance itself with. It was slender and of notable height, somewhere around her own height from what she could tell. It's skin was an ashen white and contrasted with a black mane and teal/green eyes with matching streaks running down its cheeks. Atop its head was some sort of ornament that appeared to be made of bone. It was adorned with a white attire of some sort and a black sash around its waist, some long and slender decoration on its right side.

Discord's statement about this being, about it being of an interesting nature was accurate to some degree, but she'd describe it more as unnerving as it peered at her with those eyes that seemed to possess so much emptiness.

To Ulquiorra the meeting was equally confusing. One moment he had been in an immeasurable black void and unable to hear his own voice, conversing with a disembodied voice that offered him much. The next thing he knew there had been a flash of light he found himself in what could best be described as a castle, similar to the throne room at Las Noches but intricately more decorated. Before him was a stairway that lead up to a throne where a strange creature he couldn't identify sat. From his position he could see that it possessed a horn and wings but it didn't appear to be a hollow. It was adorned with decorative trinkets that suggested regal status much in the same way the Dos Espada, Baraggan Louisembairn chose to appear. While its body was covered in a white coat of fur it possessed long flowing multi-colored hair that almost seemed ethereal in nature. All said a most a curious sight.

"What...is it?" Celestia asked simply as she blinked, looking back to Discord for clarification.

"Princess Celestia of Equestria, meet the Quatro Espada Ulquiorra Cifer," Discord introduced. Neither of them seemed particularly amused or informed simply by learning the name of the other. "This one is a most interesting case," he continued.

"I'm certain you think so but I'd prefer to make that judgement myself," Celestia replied. Looking down at her guards she could tell they were tensing up as things went and this latest edition didn't make things any simpler. "Stand down my loyal subjects. You...strange one...approach."

Ulquiorra remained silent in place and regarded the creatures before him and around him. All were equally strange as far as he was concerned. The regal creature atop the throne, the assortment of random animal parts to the side of him, and the two in golden armor at the foot of the stairs.

Further investigation was certainly warranted. A cursory exercise of his pesquisa should reveal more about the supposedly regal creature. However he'd just barely begun before being struck by the sheer magnitude of its power and nearly floored. It wasn't anything like the reiryoku that he was familiar with, nor was it reiatsu being exercised. Instead it was an entirely new type of power that seemed to flow from the creature as freely as its hair seemed to float. And for all that he could detect freely coming from its body there were vast restrained resources just below the surface. If this creature was truly in charge then it was certainly deserving of its place of authority. Such magnitude of power easily eclipsed his own...it may even eclipse Aizen's own reiatsu in the same manner.

This would require a different approach.

"Can you...understand me?" Celestia asked after a pause and seeing no response. Again she was met with no response. What had Discord said its name was? "Quatro Espada Ulquiorra Cifer I am addressing _you_!" she spoke with more authority, causing the creature to look directly up at her, suggesting it at least recognized its own name. "Are you able to understand the language I'm using?"

"I am," Ulquiorra replied simply as he continued to look on.

"Discord tells me he believes you deserve a chance to live in this world among my subjects. While I would like to believe that he's being truthful he's been known to engage in dishonesty for his own amusement so I'd like to hear from you myself. Do you have any objection to answering a few questions truthfully?" she asked.

"I do not," Ulquiorra replied in the same simple manner as before.

"Very well. Where do you come from?" Celestia asked.

"The realm known as Hueco Mundo. More specifically the city known as Las Noches," Ulquiorra replied.

"And what role did you fill while there?" Celestia asked.

"Quatro Espada, fourth strongest of Sosuke Aizen-sama's assembled forces. During his absence it was my duty to protect the wellbeing of Las Noches," Ulquiorra explained.

"Was this a military force?" Celestia asked.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied.

"What type of creature are you? Nothing like you has been seen in Equestria before," Celestia stated.

"A Hollow. In more specific terms I am an Arrancar of the Vasto Lorde evolutionary point," Ulquiorra explained.

"And what is a...Hollow?" Celestia asked.

"A Hollow is the result of a soul of the deceased remaining earthbound for an extended period of time and becoming corrupt for whatever reason at which time the soul morphs and becomes a Hollow. Hollows by general nature are blind instinct devoid of higher mental reasoning and are plagued by an intense hunger that drives them to consume the souls of others in effort to quell the emptiness they experience. They are not above devouring even fellow Hollows if their hunger is strong enough," Ulquiorra explained.

Celestia went wide eyed at hearing the information she was being presented so freely. Never before had she heard of something so horrible. Discord had brought this soul-eating being to their world and claimed that it deserved a second chance at life? She was sorely tempted to banish the both of them right that moment, but she couldn't do that just yet. Like it or not she had to press on and learn more in order to make an accurate judgement.

"Do all Hollows eat souls?" Celestia asked nervously.

"Yes. However those that reside in Hueco Mundo are able to sufficiently sustain themselves through the consumption of the reishi in the general area. The consumption of souls is not for nourishment or sustenance but rather primal satisfaction," Ulquiorra explained. The strange creature before him seemed to give a sigh of relief.

"And what is this "reishi" that you refer to?" Celestia asked.

"Reishi is the technical term for particles consisting of spirit energy. Everything in Hueco Mundo is constructed of reishi whether it is fellow Hollows or the walls of Las Noches," Ulquiorra explained.

"If you were allowed to remain within my domain would you consume the souls of my subjects?" Celestia asked.

"There would be no point in consuming souls in this world as there seems to be a significant level of...for lack of a better term to describe it "reishi" available for sustenance. Furthermore as a Vasto Lorde I am a fully evolved Hollow and the consumption of souls serves no further purpose as there is no overwhelming hunger present," Ulquiorra explained.

"I believe what you're referring to is a substance known as "mana" in this world. Mana is a naturally occurring substance found everywhere in the world and utilized by all in the performance of magic," Celestia replied.

"Magic?" Ulquiorra asked and cocked the eyebrow under the remnants of his mask. "What is this "magic" that you refer to?"

"All in good time as I still have a number of questions to ask. What exactly is that thing at your side? Is it some sort of weapon?" Celestia asked and gestured to the strange ornament on his left side.

"Correct. This is my zanpakutō, it's called Murciélago. All Arrancar-class Hollows possess a zanpakutō of their own. It is formed when they divide the nuclei of their abilities and power. Our zanpakutō is used during our resurrección to regain our original forms and prowess. In simpler terms it could be described as a manifestation of the soul," Ulquiorra explained.

Celestia finally stopped asking questions and stood up from her throne, descending the stairs slowly as she approached Ulquiorra and Discord. While the information gained had been interesting to hear it was hardly conclusive of anything, and there was no guarantee that it was accurate. She would need to take a more direct approach. As she approached she could see his hoof -a strange looking hoof at that- moving towards his zanpakutō.

"There's no need to be afraid, you won't be harmed," she said in a reassuring manner as she stepped closer. "You won't feel anything, I simply need to gain some more in depth information," she explained as her horn began to glow.

"You intend to invade my mind and extract the information you deem relevant," Ulquiorra elaborated, causing Celestia to stop in her tracks.

"I was hoping to be allowed simple access to your memories so I can see for myself what type of entity you are. The wellbeing of my subjects is my main concern," Celestia explained. "I don't want to be forceful about it. But I will if it is absolutely necessary."

"Understood," Ulquiorra replied simply and closed his eyes, withdrawing his hand from the hilt of his sword to allow the strange creature to do what was necessary.

Celestia held back a sigh of relief. At least it looked like this Ulquiorra wouldn't be fighting her on the matter and had some basic understanding of its importance. Closing her eyes she lowered her head until her horn was touching his forehead. However nothing in her over thousand year reign could have prepared her for what she saw.

There were millions of images assaulting her mind as she probed. Images that were completely alien to her, strange names assigned to faces, each with some ingrained measure of respect or regard that possessed no precise rhyme or reason. She wanted more than images though, she needed to dig deeper to find out what this Ulquiorra was like, she needed memories of self, not observations of others around him.

Loyalty? Was she...yes she was seeing some measure of loyalty and respect...at least for one particular individual thus showing he was capable of such. There were a great many emotions and sensations to dig through.

A certain callousness and indifference was about him, dispassionate about many things, very cold and calculating in nature and possessing a keen intellect, however for all that was present there was an absence of anything that could truly be considered evil; at least evil in the same manner of King Sombra and Discord during his darker days. He certainly wouldn't be the type to spare others their feelings when talking to them but there was nothing overtly cruel about that. This Ulquiorra didn't _seem_ to engage in heinous acts for his own entertainment or even personal gain; not of his own volition anyway.

The most glaring aspect she could sense was an overwhelming...emptiness of sorts. It was as if this Ulquiorra was content merely with the fact of his own existence. It was so strange, no aspiration towards leadership and rule but at the same time no overwhelming desire to simply follow the instructions of others. It was like he was...hollow inside.

She was mentally stammering at this point, taken aback by it all and the lack thereof. No concept or understanding of friendship or camaraderie with others, only certain loyalties to those that held power over him. Despair, sadness, loneliness all seemed to echo from within him, but it was a hollow sort of echo, like the growl of an empty stomach demanding food. Everything about him seemed contradictory to the values held by Equestria. Wherever he was truly native to it was not a place she had any desire to associate with.

"I have seen enough," she said as she drew back and broke the connection. In truth she'd seen far too much for her own comfort. Ulquiorra had seen more darkness and despair in his lifetime than all of Equestria had seen even before her rule. She suppressed the shudder her body so desperately wanted to issue as she turned to face Discord who had been watching expectantly. "Do you believe this Ulquiorra's presence could serve a benefit to Equestria?"

"Well I can't say for certain about that, but who could be a better candidate for learning about the magic of friendship? Look at what it's done for me," Discord replied.

"That is certainly true," Celestia replied and lowered her head, muttering to herself. Finally she raised her head and faced them again. "For the time being I'll consent to having Ulquiorra in my realm, but _you_ will be responsible for him Discord. If he proves to be a detriment to my subjects _you_ shall be the one to blame. Reformed or not it shall be you who is punished accordingly, understood?"

Discord was trying so hard not to laugh. She was lecturing him like a parent would their child about a puppy that'd followed them home. He could barely contain his amusement at the entire situation. "Oh I understand, I understand very well. I'll be responsible for whatever the dear boy does but first he's got to actually do it. For right now though I have to leave and see a train about a man. Toodaloo!" the spirit of chaos exclaimed and disappeared out of sight in a flash of spoke.

"Trash," Ulquiorra stated simply once the conglomeration of mismatched animal parts was no longer in sight.

"He can be that way at times," Celestia agreed and allowed herself a chuckle. However she soon became serious again as she faced Ulquiorra directly. "I have learned a great deal about you and your character, some of which I am displeased and concerned by. However the land of Equestria is a place of second chances and redemption and I'm willing to provide you with the opportunity for just that. That being said I expect you to understand that as long as you're here you'll be under my rule and obey my orders. You will not attack my subjects nor do anything to cause them harm or put them in risk. For the time being you'll be confined to the inside of the castle and kept under guard. Is that clear?"

Ulquiorra would keep his observations to himself for now, about the pointlessness of him being guarded and such. If the beasts that remained at the foot of the stairs were an example of what he would encounter then they served little purpose as their reiatsu was nothing compared to his and could be easily dispatched if he so chose. However the reiatsu that came from the creature identified as Celestia was several magnitudes above his own and gave him motivation to not try anything unwise at current time.

"It is clear," Ulquiorra replied simply and didn't elaborate any further.

"That's good," Celestia replied and allowed a sigh to slip past her lips. "I trust you have questions of your own?"

"Seventeen at present time."

She nearly laughed. Ulquiorra's knowing how many questions he actually had to ask reminded her of Twilight's organizational skills. "Ask away and I'll do my best to answer them."

"You are ruler of this land but you are referred to as _Princess_ Celestia rather than _Queen_ Celestia. The former ruler of Hueco Mundo held the title of King. Assuming your world's royal hierarchy follows that of my world the structural order is King, Queen, Prince and Princess. Is it correct to assume that you are not the true ruler of this world? And if you aren't then who is?"

"Equestria doesn't recognize a monarchy but rather a diarchy. I'm co-ruler of this land with my younger sister Princess Luna. I control the sun and the day while she controls the moon and the night," Celestia explained.

"Eighteen questions now," Ulquiorra noted. "What species are you?"

"I'm a member of the Alicorn race," Celestia replied.

"Still eighteen. Please elaborate on what an "alicorn" is."

"An Alicorn is a ruling class of pony in Equestria achieved through meeting certain prerequisites for ascension. Other races include unicorn, pegasus and earth pony, each capable of ascension to a higher form under the right circumstances, although few ever do in order to maintain balance in the world," Celestia explained.

"What is the substance "mana" you referred to earlier?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Mana is a naturally occurring resource native to Equestria and found in all aspects of nature. It serves as the building blocks for the use of magic," Celestia explained.

"What is this "magic" that you refer to?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Magic is a manipulation of the mana surrounding us and applying it in a specific manner, allowing for feats that non-magic users would deem to be physically impossible, ranging from transfiguration of one object into another, to weather manipulation and everything inbetween," Celestia explained.

"Of the three races mentioned earlier which of them are able to utilize magic?" Ulquiorra asked.

"All three. Earth ponies utilize magic for the purpose of taming nature and ensuring plants grow accordingly. Pegasi use magic for the purpose of flight and manipulation of the weather. Unicorns utilize magic for the purpose of performing various feats in a more direct manner the other two races are incapable of performing," Celestia explained.

"Who or what was that creature responsible for my presence in this world?" Ulquiorra asked.

"That was Discord, the spirit and physical embodiment of chaos and disorder. He's...a work in progress regarding redemption and rehabilitation," Celestia replied.

"Is he responsible for why our spoken languages seem to be the same and we are able to understand each other?" Ulquiorra asked.

"More than likely," Celestia replied and nodded.

"How was this palace constructed if your species lacks the ability to grasp and hold even basic tools?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Magical aptitude. Gripping tools isn't necessary when you can lift and carve stone with just a thought and focus," Celestia explained.

"Did you kill the original dominant race and assume their position in order to ensure rule of the land?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Goodness no! We don't do such things here in Equestria," Celestia exclaimed, utterly surprised by the question.

"When was the skill of magic originally learned and by whom?" Ulquiorra asked, not even fazed by Celestia's outburst.

"I'm afraid that's one question I can't answer. The origins of magic are something that's been lost to time itself and predates the formation of Equestria," Celestia explained.

"Then it is unlikely that you will be able to answer eight of the remaining nine questions I currently have. The remaining question is: what is this "friendship" that you have referred to several times prior?" Ulquiorra asked.

"That...is a more difficult question to answer. Friendship isn't something that's easily defined from an analytical standpoint, my student Twilight had to find that out firsthoof. Friendship is something that has to be experienced to be understood, and even then it isn't understood in simple black and white terms, there are no clearly defined boundaries or prerequisites for categorization. I'm afraid the best concrete answer I can give you is that friendship is a relationship of mutual care and affection shared between two or more individuals."

The answer given to him by Celestia was no more helpful or explanatory than the answer given by the human woman back in Las Noches. The concept of "friendship" was as foreign to him after his death as it was prior to such. Perhaps it was a concept recognized only by those who were not Hollows in nature. Or perhaps he was simply in need of further information to form a conclusive answer and evaluation. Either way he was unlikely to learn anything more right now from this "alicorn" before him.

"As I am not permitted to leave the palace ground am I to be escorted to a holding cell now?" Ulquiorra asked.

"I don't really believe that'll be necessary. You at least seem to understand the terms you're bound by, and I have no reason to believe you'll go against your word," Celestia explained and smiled slightly. "My sister will soon be awakening. Would you care to join us for our evening meal?"

"That will not be necessary. There is more than sufficient reishi...mana in the area to sustain a Vasto Lorde such as myself. The consumption of food would ultimately serve no purpose in the matter," Ulquiorra replied and slid his hands into his pockets.

"To be honest I understand what you're talking about. Food isn't necessary for me to survive, but it does make for a nice indulgence," Celestia replied and gave a knowing smile. "My sister will also be curious about your presence. It would be best if you explained matters rather than me relaying them to her."

A logical point, he couldn't deny that. Even if he didn't partake in any of the foodstuffs presented he could at least gather more information about his new surroundings and learn about the extent of his confinement. Without a word or a shrug in response Ulquiorra followed at his own pace as Celestia lead the way, the two guards following behind him and glaring.

* * *

When Celestia stated that food was an indulgence it had not been an understatement. The dining hall -for lack of a better term based on his observations- housed a large table topped with what looked to be a lavish banquet. There were foods he had never seen before but that was hardly surprising. Two alicorns were supposed to eat all of this before them? Based on his observations regarding Celestia's size, and allowing for the possibility of her sister being of similar build, he did not see how it was physically possible.

Then again he had experienced a number of things that were not physically possible in the last few hours, his defeat at the hands of Ichigo Kurosaki being only one of them.

His thoughts were quickly interrupted when his pesquisa detected another incoming source of reiatsu...or whatever the proper term was. The source soon appeared in the dining hall's northern entrance in the form of another alicorn but of notably smaller stature, midnight blue in coloring, it's hair and tail flowing in a manner similar to Celestia but of dark midnight blue coloring adorned with small twinkling white specks.

"Greetings dear sister," it greeted in a feminine voice as it saw the taller alicorn. It began to speak again but stopped when it became aware of his own presence. "Dear sister what is this strange being? Do we have guests?"

Ulquiorra said nothing in response but instead displayed a look of discomfort on his face. Each of this beings possessed a level of reiatsu that easily eclipsed his own and the two being in such close presence seemed to add together in a unified front. The pressure being exerted on the surrounding area was significant enough to cause him actual pain over his entire body. In a flash he stood at the back wall as far away from the two as possible.

"Is something wrong?" Celestia asked upon seeing the display.

"Your presence," Ulquiorra stated as he brought his arm up in an effort to shield his face as if he were being confronted with extreme wind or light. "Your combined reiatsu is overwhelming even by my own standards and causing physical pain. Even with my hierro at full strength I can feel it exerting extreme pressure on my body," he explained, his voice never raising in level but taking on an edge that signaled he was certainly upset at the developments.

"Dear sister what is it saying? We doth not understand the terms it uses," Luna stated as she looked to her sister for guidance.

"I believe he's saying our magic is too much for him to tolerate," Celestia replied. Luna looked at her curiously before nodding and closing her eyes, mentally focusing on restraining the magic that naturally flowed from her body and locking it up within her. Her sister did the same before speaking again. "Is that better?" she asked.

"It is...more tolerable now," Ulquiorra replied after a moment and lowered his guard, his appearance more relaxed than previously but he didn't step any closer to the dining table of the two alicorns before him.

"Sister we feel the need to ask yet again. What is this strange being before us?" Luna asked as she looked between them.

"Another of Discords efforts at reformation; one that shows actual promise this time," Celestia replied before taking to face him again. "Princess Luna this is Ulquiorra Cifer, I...I'm sorry but I can't seem to recall the rest of what you said earlier. Would you mind stepping forward and introducing yourself for my sister's benefit?"

He paused a moment before finally submitting to the request and approached the table. "Cuatro Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer, fourth strongest Arrancar in service to Sosuke Aizen-sama, currently under the direct control of Celestia-sama," Ulquiorra explained calmly as he stopped at the edge of the table.

"Sama?" Luna asked curiously and tilted her head to the side.

"A title recognizing and referring to one of notable rank and authority," Ulquiorra explained.

"I'm fine with "Princess Celestia" being my title," Celestia replied before turning to face her sister again. "I'm sure you have many questions dear sister. But perhaps our evening meal should come first," she suggested, a well timed rumbling in her stomach emphasizing the point and causing Luna to laugh in response at her sister's expense.

"As thou wishes dear sister. We are especially hungry this fine evening and dost look forward to our breakfast!" Luna exclaimed and took her seat as the table.

Ulquiorra for his part merely stood at the end of the table and observed the two as they interacted and ate. Theirs was a cheerful and happy attitude that he had never witnessed before. They were not approaching the matter logically and treating the meal as a mere source of sustenance. It was rather baffling to him and left a feeling of confusion that was unlikely to be satisfied anytime soon.

Their method of eating was equally as strange as their choice of banter. Food was spread all over the table far beyond their natural ability to reach but they seemed to have no trouble reaching it. If one wished for a particular dish the horn atop their head would glow with some sort of aura around it and the desired dish would be surrounded by a similarly colored aura and levitated over to them. Lacking anything else to draw from it seemed logical to assume that this was a display in the exercise of magic.

For the most part their brief uses of magic didn't cause him any significant discomfort despite being in close proximity.

"Dost thou not desire to eat with us?" Luna asked curiously as she looked up from a muffin and saw Ulquiorra continuing to stand there as if studying them. It was...unsettling.

"The consumption of food is unnecessary for my survival. There is a sufficient level of reishi in the general area to sustain me for an extended period of time," Ulquiorra calmly explained, for the third time in the last hour.

"Reishi?" Luna asked and tilted her head in confusion. "We have been gone long but never have we heard of this "reishi" you refer to."

"I believe "reishi" is his world's term for describing mana, dear sister," Celestia elaborated.

"thou consumes mana for sustenance?" Luna asked as she turned her attention back to their guest. "Most fascinating! Never before have we heard of such a being! Please confirm what does it taste like?"

"...The substance you refer to as mana possesses no discernible taste as it is not consumed orally. Rather it is absorbed directly into my body by being in its presence," Ulquiorra explained, not so much as blinking at the increase in Luna's pitch or level of voice.

"You'll have to forgive my sister. She sometimes gets easily excited," Celestia replied before pausing to grab a muffin of her own before turning back to face him. "You said you don't need food to survive. Are you able to experience the different tastes and textures of food?"

"I am. However as the act of eating is focused purely on nutrition the two standards serve little relevant purpose and I see no point in exploring their value of existence," Ulquiorra explained. "I count thirteen different types of food present. Their ultimate purpose seems inconclusive with regard to the overall point of consumption in the first place. Why is there not simply one foodstuff of adequate nutritional value?"

"Thou hast obviously never tasted Canterlot's blueberry muffins, the most delicious in all the land," Luna stated proudly as she levitated another muffin over to him. "Partake in the delicacies before thee and make thy observations then."

Ulquiorra merely glanced at the muffin that was hovering in front of his face before returning his gaze to the two alicorns at the table. Should he open his mouth to reply he couldn't be certain the younger of the two wouldn't attempt to feed him through trickery and force.

"Thou wouldst forsake the royal muffin? 'Tis Unheard of! Eat," Luna insisted.

Ulquiorra merely stared in response.

"Eat the muffin!" Luna pressed further.

Ulquiorra continued to stare unfazed.

**"EAT THY MUFFIN THOU MOST CONTESTABLE CURR!"** Luna bellowed.

Ulquiorra merely blinked in response.

Celestia meanwhile was trying so hard not to break down laughing, if it weren't so undignified in front of strangers she'd be pounding her hoof against the table. The one sided banter between her little sister and the strange being was comedy gold to her, and Ulquiorra's stone face reaction to being assaulted by the royal Canterlot voice Luna so loved to use was threatening to send her to the floor if she didn't properly compose herself.

Luna scowled. "Thou must join us for a game of poker sometime," she grumbled and withdrew the muffin back to the platter it had rested on.

Celestia allowed herself a few minutes to properly compose herself and suppress the urge to laugh before deciding to continue the discussion. "Do you mind answering a few more questions?"

"I do not," Ulquiorra replied simply.

"What were you referring to when my sister entered in? Was it...hierro? What is that?" Celestia asked.

"A technique shared by all Arrancar regardless of status or rank. Their reiryoku is condensed into their skin to create an armoring of great density and strength capable of resisting significant damage. However your reiatsu proved to be significantly greater than I was able to resist," Ulquiorra explained. "I am left uncertain as to how your guards are able to resist so effortlessly despite their minute level of strength. I can only theorize that being native to this land and its strange ways insulates them in some manner."

"Reiryoku? Reiatstu? These terms thou mention are foreign to us. What do they mean?" Luna asked curiously.

"Reiryoku is the technical term to describe the spiritual energy an individual possesses. Reiatsu is the physical pressure that reiryoku exerts on the area around it. All beings in possession of reiryoku are capable of exerting reiatsu but it is proportional to the amount of reiryoku they possess and can control. Depending on individuals the pressure can be quite intense and overwhelming, even painful in nature," Ulquiorra explained.

"That's...very fascinating. I've never been informed that our magical presence could actually cause somepony pain," Celestia stated.

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. "Somepony?"

"A term native to Equestria used for referring to another. What term is native to your world?" Celestia asked.

"Somebody."

"Somebody?" Celestia asked curiously. The word was strange to hear and even stranger to say. "Would you mind elaborating on some more of the words you've used since your arrival?"

"I would not."

"You said you're an Arrancar but you've also used several other terms for referring to yourself, such as "Hollow", "Espada" and "Vasto Lorde." What's the differentiation?" Celestia asked.

He briefly considered how to answer. The knowledge of what a Hollow was, was something Celestia already knew. He suspected it was for her sister's benefit. Furthermore he didn't see how elaborating on his nature of being would prove detrimental to his wellbeing. Barely even a shrug before reaching the decision of how to approach.

"All of the aforementioned titles apply to the Hollow race. Hollows are the result of earthbound spirits who remain in the mortal realm well beyond the time after their death and are subject to corruption via outside sources. All Hollows are similar in nature yet unique at the same time and possess unique traits and abilities. Among Hollows there are three higher levels of evolution. Gillian is the second level of evolution to be reached when hundreds of Hollows converge at one point and united by a single goal. They are mindless brutes with no personality or individuality. In rare cases one Hollow in particular will emerge and exert control over the mass, those that achieve this goal have the potential to evolve to the third level and become an Adjuchas. The Adjuchas class is far greater in strength and intelligence than the Gillian class and exert control over them though they are fewer in numbers. The fourth and final stage of evolution is Vasto Lorde and they are by far the strongest and the smartest of Hollows. Arrancar is a term to describe Hollows who have removed their masks in order to gain increased power and abilities. While all Hollows are capable of removing their masks only Gillian class and higher will benefit from the act. Espada is a title held exclusively by the ten strongest Arrancar in all of Hueco Mundo."

"Thou art the conglomeration of many hundreds of ghosts?" Luna asked in a shocked and equally amazed tone.

"Lacking more defined terms for categorization that would appear to be an accurate statement," Ulquiorra replied without even blinking at Luna's statement.

"Most unique! Thou wouldst be spectacular on Nightmare Night!" Luna exclaimed. "Is this "Hueco Mundo" you refer to a city of the dead then?"

"Hueco Mundo is the realm in which all Hollows reside. If I am categorized as a ghost in this world then the fortress of Las Noches would more accurately fit your terminology," Ulquiorra replied.

"But if thou be a ghost how are you of solid construction like a living being? Thee possess mass and density that no disembodied spirit should have," Luna pointed out.

"All things in Hueco Mundo are constructed from reishi and have mass and density to varying degrees. The Hollows, the sand, the walls, everything. At present I am unable to arrive at a conclusion to explain my own physical construction here. Nor am I able to determine how your guards are aware of my presence as only those possessing a greater than average level of reiryoku are capable of detecting Hollows. The only theory I can arrive at is that in this world mana is of greater intensity than the reiryoku of my world and it is enough to compensate for the difference," Ulquiorra explained.

"I must say you have impressive analytical skills, Ulquiorra, you've only been here a short amount of time and already you seem to have a good grasp of the situation," Celestia stated.

"Merely unconfirmed and unverifiable theories to try and make sense of this new world," Ulquiorra replied in a dismissive manner.

"Doth thy world contain magic like Equestria?" Luna asked curiously.

Ulquiorra paused for a moment in contemplation of the question and searched what knowledge he'd gathered so far to formulate a response. "The telekinetic abilities you have displayed is not something I have witnessed in my world. That said there are certain skills that may bear a passing resemblance to magic."

When Ulquiorra didn't elaborate any further Celestia spoke up. "Such as?"

"Earlier in the evening you referred to the pegasi race and described their use of magic in order to fly. Arrancar possess the ability to walk upon the air and engage in limited flight despite a lack of wings or body structures that are aerodynamically unsound," Ulquiorra explained, pausing as he gave a matter some more thought. "Perhaps another example would be the use of kido by the Shinigami."

"Shinigami?" Celestia asked.

"Soul reapers. They are the ones tasked with ferrying the souls of the departed to the afterlife where they may rest in peace. They are the mortal enemy to the Hollow race. It is their laziness that is responsible for Hollows coming into existence and it is their barbarianism that motivates them to kill us after we have established ourselves as conscious beings. It is only due to our superior numbers that they do not invade Hueco Mundo and attempt to drive us into extinction," Ulquiorra explained calmly despite the subject matter.

Luna gasped. "Such brutality!"

Celestia pondered if she should share with her sister what Ulquiorra had told her prior in the evening, about how Hollows engaged in the cannibalistic behavior of devouring other souls and even fellow Hollows. It wasn't something she wished to think about but Luna did have a right to know what she knew.

But that fact aside this new revelation made her pause. While Hollows did eat their fellow disembodied souls it was the Shinigami that seemed to allow it to happen by not exercising due diligence in ensuring that there were no earthbound spirits who could become corrupted. The fact that they seemed to be lazy in their duties was enough to leave her wondering if the Shinigami were deliberate in their laziness and the subsequent extermination of Hollows was a matter of sport for them. Was the killing of such beings a source of entertainment for them?

These thoughts and many others were flying through her mind at a mile a second. If this really was the case then Ulquiorra, despite the brutality she'd seen in his memories, was a member of an unjustly oppressed race. Perhaps that was why she sensed such emptiness coming from him.

"I'm inclined to agree," Celestia added as she shook the thoughts from her head. "Perhaps discussion of these "Shinigami" isn't appropriate right now. What can you tell us of the magic they can perform? This... "kido" you refer to?"

"Upon his arrival in Hueco Mundo Aizen-sama provided detailed information regarding the ways of the Shinigami. Kido is generally divided into three specific categories: bakudo, hado and kaido. Bakudo are supplemental techniques that aid in combat and take the form of binding restrictions or shields. Hado is directly offensive and kaido is related to healing. Kido techniques are numbered in accordance to level of strength and difficulty and range from 1 to 99. For proper deployment of a kido technique an incantation must be verbally cast, however such an incantation is long to recite and must be spoken correctly," Ulquiorra explained.

"Spoken incantations for performing magic? Fascinating," Celestia muttered as she rubbed her chin in thought. "Can Hollows perform kido as well?"

"Kido is exclusive to the Shinigami race. However Hollows have their own techniques that allow for partial compensation of this fact," Ulquiorra replied.

"And what are they? Besides the hierro you've already explained?" Celestia asked.

"I decline to answer that question. Simply because you have placed me under your rule does not negate the fact that it's unwise to share vital information that could potentially be used against yourself for the purpose of causing harm," Ulquiorra explained.

"Thou doth accuse our sister of being treacherous!?" Luna demanded to know and rose from her seat.

"Calm down little sister. Ulquiorra is well within his rights to refrain from sharing any information he feels might be sensitive in nature. He raises an excellent point, we shouldn't be so quick to volunteer information if we have a good reason to do otherwise," Celestia explained in a reassuring tone to relax her sister.

"Mayhaps," Luna finally relented and sat back down, turning her state of unrest towards her scrambled eggs instead of their unusual and impolite guest.

Silence quickly settled back over the room at the two sisters ate, Ulquiorra continuing to observe them in a detached and disinterested manner, mentally noting his various observations based on the available information, limited as it may be. He would need to expand on what information was available if he was to form more accurate observations.

"This "Canterlot" as you refer to it is a capital city in the land of Equestria is it not?" he asked.

"Yes it is," Celestia replied and nodded.

"As a capital city it's only logical to assume it would contain libraries to house extensive knowledge of the land and the surrounding territory, including but not limited to history, regional customs and the law. If I'm bound to this dimension for an interminable period then perhaps it would be prudent to learn about the relevant details of my new surroundings."

"That sounds reasonable. However as you're still a stranger there are a number of sections in the archives and library that're restricted and you'll be denied access to them. So long as you abide by this I don't see any problem with you learning more about your new surroundings," Celestia pointed out.

"That is an acceptable condition," Ulquiorra replied and gave a small nod of understanding.

"Very well. Guards please escort our guest to the library," Celestia ordered politely.

"Perhaps it would be best if my shadow guard were to escort him. 'Tis nearly nightfall and our turn to watch over Equestria shalt soon be upon us. Let thou guards rest after they escort our guest and our guards shall relieve them there," Luna stated.

"Very well dear sister, if that's what you wish," Celestia replied and gave a small nod to the stallion guards at the doorway.

"This way," one of the guards spoke. Ulquiorra said nothing in response, merely turning around and following his assigned escort out of the dining hall.

Celestia sat patiently sipping her tea, silently waiting and watching until Ulquiorra and her two guards were no longer in sight before turning to address her sister, who was currently looking at her in a confused manner. "What's your opinion my dear little sister?"

"Most curious. His very nature seems contradictory to everything Equestria is. We doth not believe he presents a significant source of danger to our subjects," Luna said as she paused in thought. "Most peculiarly he seems to emit a sense of loneliness and emptiness, 'tis as if he hath no understanding of friends. And his eyes...his eyes convey such sadness, 'twas painful to even look at him for more than a few seconds. Wherever this Hueco Mundo is 'tis not a place we would wish to visit within our lifetimes."

Celestia said nothing in response. Luna's opinion was accurate to some extent but didn't take into account the darker things she'd experienced. She'd seen so many things when probing his mind, so many disturbing experiences, memories and thoughts that she didn't even wish to think about it. She'd seen many atrocities to him, many things she didn't know if she could forgive. But what she hadn't seen was an overwhelming degree of malice behind his actions. Perhaps there would be hope for him if they worked with him enough.

Right now she wasn't certain just how much to freely share with Luna on the matter. She would have to approach this matter cautiously.

"Perhaps I should put off resting for the night," Celestia suggested.

"Nonsense dear sister. We art perfectly capable of handling whatever situation may arise on our nightly watch. Thou needst thy rest for the coming morning," Luna pointed out. As soon as she finished a mischievous thought occurred to her and she pressed on before Celestia could speak. "And if thou doth protest we shall devour all the cake in Canterlot and leave not so much as a single piece for thee."

Luna knew how to play dirty, and threatening her cake was most certainly a low blow to be making. She doubted her little sister would actually stoop to such a level, but she didn't really feel up to testing that theory right now. Truth be told she _was_ tired after the day she'd had and she really wanted to rest.

"Very well Luna, I leave the kingdom and our new guest in your capable hooves," Celestia said as she stood up from the table. "It seems time to usher in nightfall. Let us be off."

"Agreed dear sister, agreed," Luna replied and stood up to join her.

* * *

The presence of the guards didn't serve as a distraction from Ulquiorra's search for relevant information. Even the changing of the guard and the presence of a new type of reiatsu with the strange looking creatures he assumed to be Princess Luna's shadow guard didn't warrant investigation. His pesquisa didn't detect anything to warrant his interest.

The matter of most interest to him was presently in his hands in the form of a book on the history of Equestria. The symbols contained within the book were not one he had any conscious knowledge of, he was most certain of that. Despite that fact he found he was quite able to understand them and what they were saying. Logically it didn't make sense. The only likely explanation he could arrive at was the possibility of Discord having adapted him to this world and all it held.

That said the history detailing the founding of Equestria seemed far-fetched and hard to believe. The three great pony races united against beings known as windigos that fed on strife and disorder and created an endless winter in their wake? Was this attempt at humor? Or had the historical documents been unorganized and mixed with childhood tales of fantasy and unbelievable notions?

"Trash," Ulquiorra muttered and snapped the book shut before placing it back on the shelf. Perhaps another book would hold the information he needed. In a library this size there had to be relevant and accurate texts to tell him what he needed to know.

But first...

"I have been aware of your presence for the last ten minutes. As I have been here for over an hour I can only assume you had royal duties to tend to. That said I am uncertain of why you have attempted to conceal yourself from me," Ulquiorra stated as dry and unfeeling as ever before reaching for another book in hopes of gaining greater information about his new surroundings.

"How didst thou know we were present?" Luna asked in a shocked and dumbfounded manner as she finally stepped into the library. She'd been so quiet in her approach even her own shadow guards hadn't heard her approach and she'd been sure to silence them so as to not alert him.

"My pesquisa detected your overwhelming reiatsu even before you ever approached me. If your intent was to try and take me by surprise then your goal has failed," Ulquiorra replied without even looking up from his book.

"Thou's ability to detect the presence of others is most impressive," Luna commented as she stepped closer.

"It's highly unlikely you attempted to hide yourself simply to comment on my abilities. What do you want?" Ulquiorra asked bluntly.

"...We wish to learn more about you. Never in our history have we encountered one such as thee," Luna admitted as she stopped a short distance away from him. "Can thou tell us of Hueco Mundo? What is it like?"

He paused a moment, absently trailing a finger along the edge of the book before finally speaking up. "Barren. A cold desert, white sand and tree-like structures stretching on forever beyond the feeble limits of the eye. Countless miles of emptiness under an unending night sky," Ulquiorra explained.

"Thy world has eternal night?" Luna asked, easily caught off guard by the revelation. If Nightmare Moon was still around she'd love to hear this. "What of the moon? Does Hueco Mundo possess a moon?"

"Yes. As eternal as the night sky it sits in, forever at three quarters crescent."

"Crescent? Thou hast no full moon in your world? 'Tis a tragedy!" Luna stated. "Our moon is eternally full for all to see!"

Ulquiorra said nothing and simply went to reading the book.

"Wouldst thou like to see the night sky of Equestria? 'Tis a beautiful sight."

"I see no beneficial purpose in the act," Ulquiorra responded as he scanned the page. "Comprehensive knowledge of Equestria is needed but these books so far are sorely lacking. So far I've found no records of the various campaigns waged between now and the founding of Equestria. Even records prior to the supposed founding are limited. No documentation concerning the tribes of unicorn, pegasi and earth pony."

"The royal library is quite extensive dating back many libraries. Our sister's student, Twilight Sparkle, is a most enthusiastic reader and she could not read every book present in five years. Thou hast just begun thy quest for knowledge," Luna pointed out.

"Then perhaps you can direct me to the relevant texts."

"T'will be a long read. Thou wouldst need to stay awake the entire night to get through such books," Luna stated.

"Sleep is not necessary for the survival of a Hollow," Ulquiorra stated plainly.

"Truly?" Luna asked and blinked. Didn't need sleep? Ulquiorra Cifer was awake to experience the fullness of the night? "Wouldst thou consider taking part in our company in exchange for a firsthoof account of Equestria's history that we experienced firsthoof?"

Ulquiorra cocked an eyebrow and cast an aside glance at Luna. The notion of her being ancient wasn't surprising. Shinigami could live for thousands of years depending on the potency of their reiryoku, Hollows were eternal and never aged, it only made sense that certain beings in this world could be long lived as well. "Princess Celestia has stated that knowledge on the origin of magic has been lost to the passage of time and predates the founding of Equestria. Unless you were present for this then there is little information that can be garnered by such an interaction," he explained and closed the book before placing it back on the shelf.

Luna frowned. He was certainly callous in nature to turn down an audience with Canterlot royalty. She would have to do something about that "Then perhaps thou canst make use of these," she said as her horn took on a pale blue glow, retrieving numerous large tomes and hovering them over his head before dropping them.

Ulquiorra didn't so much as blink, simply stepping aside out from under the stack of books and extending his left hand to catch them effortlessly as if it were nothing.

Luna frowned more at this and his unflinching attitude. He was far too cool under pressure for her liking. "Thou art very good," she commented. "We must get back to our royal duties. If thou changes thy mind we shall be in the throne room, the guards will escort you back."

Not so much as even a noncommittal grunt in response. Ulquiorra simply set the books down before opening one and began to read its contents. Luna sighed and turned to leave. But before even the first hoofstep she looked behind her once more.

"Ulquiorra Cifer. Regardless of who or what thou are, thou will be welcomed by the ponies of this land. We should know as we ourselves were welcomed even after what we did," she stated before facing forward and began to leave.

"What did you do?"

She hadn't expected a response and stopped in her tracks. However she didn't face him before speaking again. "One thousand three years ago we rebelled against our sister and attempted to initiate eternal night out of petty jealousy over the adoration she received. Our nights were shunned by fearful ponies who would rather sleep than rejoice in the natural cycle of order. We allowed ourselves to become Nightmare Moon and became a symbol of terror and fear. For such actions we were banished to the moon for one thousand years by our sister. Even now many have not forgotten about our legacy; but many have been willing to forgive," she explained.

_"How very...hollow-like. Perhaps I underestimated them,"_ Ulquiorra thought to himself. "Is it permitted for the books to be removed from the physical constraints of the library?"

"But of course."

Without a word Ulquiorra closed the book and placed it atop the pile before kneeling down to effortlessly lift the pile as he stood back up before approaching Luna. Luna said nothing as she watched him take a position to her side but she smiled to herself. The significance of the gesture was not lost to her. Without a word she moved to leave the library, Ulquiorra following close behind. At the very least the night princess had managed to prove interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

Under normal circumstances sleep was easy for Princess Celestia to achieve and even easier to maintain. Despite not needing sleep it was still wonderful to indulge in at the end of each day. For a few blissful hours she was completely free of the daily stresses she was forced to endure, allowed to indulge in her daily fantasies and desires, all in the comfort of her own bed. It was blissful, it was serene, it was beautiful.

These were **not** normal circumstances.

On this night sleep had proved to be rather elusive to her. Getting to sleep was difficult and staying asleep was even moreso. Her rest wasn't restful as her mind continued to wander back to the same subject of discomfort; Ulquiorra Cifer. What she had seen in the Arrancar's mind had disturbed her deeply and left her shaken all the way to her magical core. His presence was contradictory to everything and left her with great concerns over the safety of her kingdom and everyone in it. He'd even managed to invade her dreams, haunting her unconscious mind with what she'd seen of Hueco Mundo, of the battle he had engaged in with the strange bipedal being "Ichigo Kurosaki" with the bright orange mane in the name of protecting Las Noches at all costs in order to comply with his orders. And that terrible, terrible emptiness that just seemed to radiate off of him. His empty, soulless eyes were piercing through what she saw, their unwavering glare present through the images like two suns hanging high in the sky. How had Luna seen sadness in them?

In the end she realized that it was futile to continue laying about and simply got up much earlier than she cared for, her sister's moon still hanging high in the sky. She was far less rested than she wanted to be, but in truth far more rested than she needed to be for carrying out her daily royal duties. After grooming herself and applying the royal adornments she left her chambers and made her way to the throne room.

Much to her surprise everything appeared to be fine. There were no signs of damage to the palace walls, no bodies or blood to be seen on the floor or smeared on the walls. It was almost enough to make her doubt her previous concerns about the Hollow; almost. She doubted that she'd ever rest easy around him after seeing what she'd seen.

"Thou be up quite early, dear sister, art thou unwell?"

Celestia looked over at Luna sitting atop her throne looking quite well, if slightly concerned. At the foot of the stairs were two of her sinister looking shadow guard members. Standing off to the side near the far wall was Ulquiorra currently engrossed in a book, a sizable stack of others books next to him. How long had he been reading?

"Sister?"

"I'm sorry, Luna, I was distracted," Celestia replied and shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I'm alright, I just couldn't rest properly is all."

"If thou say so," Luna muttered. "Regardless 'tis good to see you. We have been learning much about Ulquiorra Cifer during the night. He art a most prodigious reader! We dare say even thou most precious student Twilight Sparkle could not hope to keep pace with him."

"Really now?" Celestia asked in a curious manner as she eyed Ulquiorra once again, looking as prim and proper as ever, one hoof stored in his pocket as he continued reading without regard to their presence. "How many books has he read and how long has he been reading?"

"Seventeen since thou retired last evening. Wouldst be more but inbetween we hath been engaged in the most interesting of conversations together," Luna stated.

Luna's statement seemed hard to believe. Ulquiorra was the quiet and aloof type from what she could see, and she knew personally how much her sister loved to talk when motivated by something. She couldn't help but imagine the idea of a conversation being entirely one sided with the Arrancar serving no other purpose than playing a brick wall with a face painted on it while her sister assaulted him with whatever topic of conversation came to her mind.

"And what've you two been talking about while I've been sleeping? You didn't keep him up all night did you?" Celestia asked. She knew how much her little sister enjoyed having someone to talk to and truly wouldn't put it past her to have ordered the guards to prevent him from leaving if she were desperate enough for a conversation.

"Most certainly not! 'Tis truly amazing about Ulquiorra Cifer, he is devoid of a need to sleep just as he is to eat. And we have learned so much in our time together!" Luna stated, her voice bordering on royal Canterlot territory. "Didst thou know the realm of Hueco Mundo experiences eternal night? Or that Hollows are eternal just as we ourselves are?"

It was far too early for this. If Luna were anymore excited she'd be bouncing like Pinkie Pie right now and shaking the palace with the force of each impact. She truly couldn't imagine how excited Luna was at finding someone else that was awake to experience night to its fullest. However at the moment her mind was elsewhere on something her sister had just said.

"But I thought he said the Shinigami kill Hollows. How can Hollows die if they're immortal?" Celestia asked curiously.

"Being eternal doesn't mean being beyond the grips of death. Hollows don't grow old and die like other living beings, but they can still be killed. Nothing can truly live forever," Ulquiorra spoke up for the first time since Celestia's arrival before gently snapping his current book shut. "Whether or not you and your sister abide by that standard is neither my concern nor my interest."

"And good morning to you too, Ulquiorra," Celestia replied in a semi-sarcastic manner. "Have your studies been educational?"

"Inconclusive would be more appropriate. Despite Princess Luna suggesting the present texts there appear to be many gaps in the available information between now and the time predating the founding of Equestria. The laws and customs of the "Saddle Arabia" nation are ridiculous at best. References to the "crystal empire" turn up nothing of use. And the lack of recorded large-scale violent conflicts after the implementation of your benevolent reign is hard to accept as truth. Further reading will be necessary if anything of relevance is to be gathered."

"I apologize if our royal library isn't up to your standards of quality," Celestia replied sarcastically. Ulquiorra barely glanced at her. "You're free to read every book in the unrestricted sections as you please. But I believe you'll find that Equestria really is as it appears to be."

"That remains to be proven," Ulquiorra commented before setting the book down on top of the pile and picking up the entire stack with great ease. Without a word he proceeded to leave the throne room, Luna's two sentries following close behind.

It was far too early in the day for this; the day hadn't even started yet and already she was feeling a migraine beginning to brew. Ulquiorra was proving to be every bit as callous and unapologetic as she'd seen...but so far he at least seemed capable of understanding the situation and the orders he was under. He was still present, nopony had been hurt as far as she could see, and he hadn't tried to gain entry to the restricted sections of the library; even if he could get past the locked doors, the intruder detection charms on the doorways would've alerted her to his presence and she'd be on him in a heartbeat via teleportation. The fact that they didn't sound even once during the night was at least some small measure of comfort to her.

"Thou seems...uneasy dear sister. 'Tis something wrong?" Luna asked hesitantly as she disembarked the throne and cautiously approached down the stairs.

"I'm not quite certain," Celestia said in a low tone as she watched until the Arrancar was no longer in her line of sight. "Something about him leaves me...disturbed. Did he do anything last night that seemed strange to you? Something that might be grounds for concern?"

"He is passively rude and unfazed by what he doth encounter, aloof and with no display of emotions. But we saw nothing to suggest concern was necessary. Not once did he try and venture into the restricted sections of the library nor display any show of force. T'would seem he is working to accept his place in our world and under our rule," Luna replied before looking her sister in the eyes. "Tell us dear sister, what doth bother thee so much? Dost thou know something about Ulquiorra Cifer that we do not?" she asked.

Celestia didn't want to lie to her sister. But she also didn't want to share with her the horrible details she'd learned about the Hollow society all thanks to the actions of Discord. The brutality of life in Hueco Mundo wasn't something the world of Equestria should ever have to experience itself. How could she tell her sister about what she'd seen without seeming prejudicial after all the other individuals she'd given second chances to who'd proven themselves worthy of her generosity, patience and understanding? She'd seen the potential of good in _Discord_ of all ponies despite everything they both knew about what he'd done to their fair land.

"Perhaps it's just the fact that he absorbs the mana from the air for sustenance. I experience a chilly feeling in his presence and it's unnerving," she finally stated. "His lack of emotions is also unsettling."

Another concern that stuck out in her mind, that she had the time to consider during her restless night, was the fact that Discord had crossed dimensional boundaries to bring Ulquiorra to them. Different dimensions had different rules of reality and physics. There was no telling what Ulquiorra's presence in their world could result in. It was possible that he would be in danger, but it was equally possible that their world would be in danger as a result of the conflicting rules of physics battling against one another for dominance.

There was another concern that left her even more disturbed and uneasy. What if Discord's actions had the unintended consequences of establishing a sort of gateway between their two dimensions and other Hollows were now able to cross over and invade Equestria? Ulquiorra had commented on how her guards qualified as having an above average level of "reiryoku" as he referred to it, what if the rest of the ponies under her watch did as well? Could they all be facing the threat of having their souls devoured? She couldn't help but shiver at that thought.

"Art thou still cold from Ulquiorra Cifer's presence, dear sister?" Luna asked in a concerned manner.

"It's alright, I'm fine," Celestia lied as she did her best to smile at her little sister. She couldn't tell her about this, not yet. "I know it's still rather early but I'm feeling hungry. Would you care to join me for breakfast now instead of waiting for the usual time?"

"Hmm..." Luna paused in thought. "We are feeling somewhat peckish. We supposed it could not hurt to grab an early supper to see us through the rest of the night until it is time for thou to take over," she said and nodded eagerly.

"Excellent. I'll see if I can get the kitchen staff motivated to start early today."

* * *

Getting the books back in their original place wasn't the easiest of tasks due to them having come from higher up shelves, meaning he had to rely on his air walking abilities to get them properly reorganized before he went back to his researching.

Unfortunately whether the library was organized or not all of his selections of books were proving to be of little value. There were many things that simply didn't add up. The history of Equestria in general and the reign of Princess Celestia specifically were far too peaceful to seem believable. The concept of such extensive peace went against the very basics of Hollow nature. He could spend days reading and he doubted he'd be able to learn anything useful.

The interruptions didn't help either. The changing of the guards did nothing to disturb his attempts at research Despite the differences in their reiatsu they were low enough to not be of interest. The other one however...

"I am as aware of your presence currently, Princess Celestia, as I was that of Princess Luna last night. For what purpose do you attempt to conceal yourself?"

"Is my presence really that noticeable?" Celestia asked as she stepped out into the open.

Breakfast had been as pleasant as could be expected under the current circumstances, certainly delicious and all, but regardless she couldn't turn her mind off and stop worrying. Trying to wear the mask of everything being alright when it wasn't proved to be difficult even with her thousand years of experience on the matter.

The moment her sister retired for the day she set out to locate their guest and gain answers to the many questions she had. When she'd found him she simply observed him as he read in silence. However he seemed to be expecting her and was quick to call her out.

"Indeed," Ulquiorra replied and closed the book, dissatisfied with the information it held. "What of your royal duties? Surely you have more important things to do than verify for yourself that I'm abiding by the terms you have laid down as ruler."

"I'm actually tending to them right now. I have a number of concerns at the moment and as ruler of Equestria I need to ensure the wellbeing of my subjects at all costs," Celestia explained.

"Am I correct to assume you have doubts concerning my loyalty to you based on the images you saw last night?" Ulquiorra asked.

"You're quite observant," Celestia replied and nodded as she steeped closer to him. "I need to know that Equestria won't be endangered by your presence. There's never been a Hollow in this world before, and even though you act civilized that doesn't mean anything. Discord proved to be civilized but still highly destructive until he was reformed. I need to know about what I saw last night about your loyalty."

Ulquiorra said nothing as he placed the book back on the shelf before turning to face Celestia, his hands going into his pockets. He didn't blame Celestia for her suspicions. "The individual Sosuke Aizen who ruled over Hueco Mundo was a Shinigami who turned against his own order to spark a rebellion. When he came to Hueco Mundo his nature was instantly detected and responded to accordingly. Many Hollows died as a result of attempting to attack him and his two fellow Shinigami traitors, Ichimaru Gin and Kaname Tosen. After usurping the previous rule of Hueco Mundo and Las Noches, the Vasto Lorde, Baraggan Louisenbairn, Aizen assembled the ten strongest Arrancar to form the Espada, myself included," he explained, giving a cursory history of events that transpired. "Despite knowing of Aizen's nature as the mortal enemy of my species I chose to serve him faithfully, carrying out whatever order he may issue regardless of what it may be. Despite being a Shinigami he was my ruler and I had no choice but to obey. His last order to me before he departed was to protect Las Noches against harm. Despite my best attempts I was unable to fulfill this order. The rest you know."

She was a little surprised to hear that the Aizen Ulquiorra had faithfully served was his very enemy, and even moreso that he made the conscious decision to continue serving him despite knowing full well what he was getting himself into. She knew that he was loyal to an extent but never to _that_ extent. Loyally serving the pony -or whatever Aizen was- despite knowing that at any moment he could end his existence. It was rather a terrifying concept. Perhaps even more terrifying was how Ulquiorra could so freely talk about the subject without growing visibly upset. He was very collected.

"Did you ever try and usurp this Aizen?" Celestia asked.

"Never. It was not my place to question he who was in charge regardless of how I felt or what I believed," Ulquiorra stated.

"And how did you feel about serving Aizen despite knowing he was your enemy?" Celestia asked.

"Feelings are of no importance and opinions are often irrelevant. We had our orders and those of us that were loyal to Aizen carried them out dutifully regardless of what might happen to us. It was our purpose to put our lives on the line for him so that he might achieve his goals."

She was silent for a long time after hearing that. This Aizen expected those below him to act as sacrificial pawns of their own free will? Her silence must've stretched longer than she'd intended as Ulquiorra went back to reading his current book.

"...For what it's worth I'm sorry for what you had to go through in Hueco Mundo. I can promise you that nothing like that will happen in Equestria. I would never ask my subjects to do something that I wasn't fully prepared to do myself," Celestia replied. "If there's anything I can do for you in order to help..."

"In your long rule you have gained extensive personal knowledge, correct?" he asked. Celestia nodded. "Perhaps you can elaborate on the intangible concept of the heart and explain what it is. Numerous times a woman in my world referred to this concept with regard to her friends and their blatantly illogical actions and decisions. Despite overwhelming odds and opposition they refused to admit that there was no hope for them. Despite being confronted with the overwhelming strength of the Espada they refused to give up, they chose to maintain the belief that victory was an possibility for them," Ulquiorra explained, keeping an even tone despite what he was describing and how it's lack of logic confused him to no end. "Are you able to explain this illogical concept and why it is considered so important?"

She was a little surprised that out of everything Ulquiorra would or could be asking her, he'd settle on matters related to the heart. His obsession with wars in their history had lead her to believe he'd be asking something else entirely. Unfortunately this wasn't any easier for her.

"I'm afraid I can't give an explanation that'll make sense in terms of basic logic because the heart in this matter isn't logical by nature. It's like trying to describe friendship is scientific terms. It's something that has to be experienced rather than studied in an academic sense," Celestia replied. Ulquiorra didn't appear convinced. "Over the centuries there've been a great many scholars who've attempted to explain the condition of the heart and how it drives us to do things our brains tell us are illogical. Because of our hearts we do things we normally wouldn't do because it feels right; or simply because it feels wrong to not act in such a manner. It's...very complicated."

"So it would appear," Ulquiorra replied as he went back to scanning the pages of the book in his hands.

"...Are there any other questions I can answer?" Celestia asked.

"It wouldn't be logical to conclude that my confinement to the Canterlot palace will be permanent in nature, especially since you've said matters of friendship and the heart must be experienced in person to be properly understood. At what point in time do you believe I'll be deemed fit to interact with the rest of your subjects that lay beyond the palace grounds?"

"...I'm afraid I don't have a definite time frame for that just yet. I'll have to give the matter some thought before I have an answer for you," Celestia replied. "In the meantime I'll need to get back to the throne room shortly. The Day Court waits for nopony and the nobles are quite incessant on being seen about their demands."

"I take it you don't banish the annoying to the moon to serve as a warning for others to not cross you?"

"...Luna told you about that?" Celestia asked.

"She did."

_"Our sister doth have a big mouth,"_ Celestia thought to herself and frowned. But before she could even get a word of explanation out Ulquiorra continued.

"Based on the information presented, you made the most logical decision that your heart would allow under the circumstances. The fact she _is_ back and co-ruling the kingdom so freely would suggest it was the correct decision to make."

Had he just...did he really...was he...

Her thoughts were becoming jumbled at his words. She knew what it sounded like he was saying, what his words seemed to mean, but it didn't seem possible. Was somepony...some_body_ so bent on logical meanings just saying that she'd made the right decision by listening to her heart when he didn't even understand the concept of having a heart? Oh the irony of it all.

She really didn't need this forming migraine with all the nobles she had to face, she truly didn't.

"Thank you," she uttered quietly before turning to take her leave for the time being. This was a matter that would definitely require further thought and discussion. But it would have to wait for later. Right now she had to go babysit a bunch of uppity nobles who insisted on using her royal court for publicly airing their gripes against each other and expecting her to give them preferential treatment. "I should've had my cake last night..."

Ulquiorra observed as she left. She did not need to know of the sheer degree of cruelty he saw in her actions regarding her own sister and fellow princess. If she was willing to banish her sister to the moon for a thousand years and leave her vulnerable to what she had experienced during that time there was no telling what else she was capable of; he did not need to tempt her to sentence him to the same fate.

* * *

The day progressed as uneventful as any other day in Canterlot. Celestia's Day Court was filled with bickering nobles she didn't want to deal with just as any other day was. Luna slept soundly in a way Celestia couldn't help but envy. Ulquiorra more or less remained in the library under guard and read whatever book he deemed relevant to his studies on the land of Equestria and the creatures it contained.

Some of the available texts were more useful than the previous had been. Unfortunately others were less than useful to him and seemed to be recorded in a manner best suited for the entertainment of children. There were well over five thousand books present that he had access to, it was only logical that eventually he would find what he sought.

"We must say thou art a most avid reader. Hast thou been here the entire day?"

He hadn't even flinched at the sound of Luna's voice as she stood behind him. The smaller alicorn's approach was easily detected even at a distance regardless of how silent her approach had been. Judging by her presence it was safe to assume night would soon be falling and Princess Celestia would be retiring for the day.

"Affirmative," he replied simply as he closed the current text and placed it back on the shelf.

"Hast thee found what thou art looking for?" Luna asked.

"At present time no. I have only been able to assemble a sketchy history and understanding of the land of Equestria. If no further information is found soon I plan to switch to the history of the legal system to understand the laws and order of the land," Ulquiorra explained.

"Thou shouldst see the Canterlot attorneys for such an understanding, they art best versed in matters of the law. We can direct thee to some of the best," Luna offered.

"Unless they are in the palace such information is of little use. Presently I am forbidden from leaving the palace grounds and under guard. Until Princess Celestia sees fit I am to remain under these conditions," Ulquiorra stated.

"Our sister wouldst understand if we gave thee a royal escort to further thou's understanding of the world," Luna pointed out.

"It's not my place to question the terms I'm bound by," Ulquiorra replied.

"If thou feels as such then we shalt abide by thy wishes," Luna replied and turn to leave. "Doth thou need anything before we take our leave to join our sister for our evening meal?"

"No."

"Very well. A good evening to you, Ulquiorra Cifer," Luna replied and exited the library.

He was willing to accept that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were in charge of him now and their rule was what he was under. However if they insisted on utilizing his time he couldn't help but wish it was for something of importance rather than just checking on him. The fact that his assigned guards continued to live and breathe should've been evidence enough that all was well.

Then again he had to remember that he was an anomaly in this new world that was ruled by ponies. They weren't versed in the way of Hollows. Perhaps it was necessary to exercise more understanding with them than he did those that came to Hueco Mundo.

_"Historical Accounts of the Dragon Uprising,"_ he thought as his eyes scanned over the titles. Perhaps that would prove useful to him.

* * *

Celestia wasn't surprised to see Luna pop into existence via a teleportation spell. Considering the size of the castle it made the most sense when one was in a hurry and trying to move about without raising suspicion by galloping through the halls.

"He didst not even consider the bait before flatly refusing the offer," Luna stated as she trotted over to where Celestia was and sat down next to her. "T'would seem he is most loyal to thee's orders. Although we do resent being used in such an underhoofed manner."

"I apologize Luna but I'm afraid it was a necessity under these circumstances. I had to verify if he was being honest," Celestia explained. However now she couldn't help but wonder if Ulquiorra had somehow seen through her gamble and recognized it as a trap. He was _very_ intelligent and she couldn't put it past him. "It was also necessary to see if he was really trustworthy."

"Tia," Luna spoke up, "thou speak of loyalty and trust. But thou know as well as we that these traits cannot be properly gauged under the current circumstances. While confined to the palace Ulquiorra Cifer cannot be presented with opportunities to test his true nature and determine such things as loyalty and trust. He must interact with our beloved subjects for such to be determined properly."

"I know, Luna, I know," Celestia replied and gave a brief nod of understanding. She knew that as long as the Arrancar was a caged bird he would be on his best behavior. There would be no way to really tell what he was like or how he'd act. But the thought of letting him free and seeing how he acted individually still left her concerned. Even when she set about having Discord reformed he was under the careful watch of Twilight and her friends who wouldn't hesitate to seal him back in stone again if necessary.

"What art thou not telling us dear sister?" Luna asked pointedly as she looked at her with a critical eye. "We know thou concealeth something from us and we wish to know what."

"It's noth-"

"Dare not to lie to our face dear sister. We know that there is indeed something. And if thou doth not share it freely then we will have to prove to be every bit the annoying little sister we were in foalhood," Luna interrupted and smirked. "Thee can share the information of thy own volition, or we can resort to the royal method of torture to extract the information. And we are intimately familiar with each and every one of thee's most ticklish spots," she said as her wings flared briefly to emphasize and reinforce the threat.

Her sister was threatening to tickle her into submission. It was a foalish threat indeed, but she laughed regardless at the lighthearted approach and how it helped ease some of her concerns. Oh how she'd missed her sister so much.

"Very well, Lulu, very well," Celestia finally consented. She knew that if she didn't give in Luna would simply press the issue. Even if she could resist while conscious there really wouldn't be anything to prevent her dreams from being probed and the information gathered there. She really hated it when her sister played dirty. "When I first probed his mind I discovered rather disturbing facts about Ulquiorra's past. Hollows are quite violent by nature, killing is quite common in their world based on what I've seen. To some it's a second nature."

"He doth come from a violent past. 'Tis nothing Equestria hasn't seen before. The gryphons and the dragons are far from the most social of species we have dealt with despite their violent natures," Luna replied. "Before the founding of Equestria the three pony tribes also engaged in great violence against one another."

"You didn't let me finish. Killing and cruelty weren't the only things I saw, there was also cannibalism. Hollows eat the souls of others to try and satiate an intense hunger born from their corruption. And when the hunger is overwhelming they devour their fellow Hollows as well. This cannibalistic approach is what allows them to evolve to their higher levels; Ulquiorra's consumed many thousands of his own brethren to reach his level of evolution."

Luna sat silently as Celestia explained what she'd seen in his mind, blinking intermittently through it all. When it seemed she didn't have anything else to say she finally spoke up. "While 'tis disturbing to know, Ulquiorra Cifer is not exactly the first to practice cannibalism in the land beyond our kingdom. Thou knowest the nature of the dragons and gryphons and how they regard their own kind at certain times. Their...practices that are not to be carried over when they come to Equestria proper to live."

"I'm aware but that's different, they're not eating _souls_," Celestia stated.

"But is such not the fault of the Shinigami who oversee the souls of the departed? We agree 'tis morbid in thought but Ulquiorra Cifer himself stated they are lazy in their duties about ferrying the dead to the afterlife and instead leave them to become corrupted. How is it any fault of his if he did what instinct dictated for survival? Wouldst be any different from the gryphons disposing of their dead in a similar manner during times of great famine?" Luna asked.

Luna had raised the same point of thought she'd had last night. From what Ulquiorra told it sounded like the whole reason Hollows existed was because the Shinigami were too lazy to do their job. It brought her back to the question of whether it was a deliberate act for darker purposes; not knowing enough she couldn't rule it out as a possibility. There were just so many uncertainties and unanswered questions and it was making her head swim.

"Wilt thou give him a chance dear sister? Please?" Luna asked softly. "Thou knowest as do we that everypony deserves a second chance, no matter what they may hath done in the past..."

Celestia extended a wing to stroke Luna's back in response to comfort her. It didn't do well to have her constantly brooding on the past. "I'll do my best in this case," she promised as she continued stroking her back. "I just want to be cautious on the matter. This is uncharted territory for all of us."

"We know," Luna replied as she closed her eyes.

* * *

"Sir."

Ulquiorra looked up from his book. The history on Equestria proper wasn't proving to be very rewarding. The records detailing the surrounding territory and the history with other races was another story entirely. Violent mass conflicts were more readily detailed and covered, it was something that made sense to him. He'd been right in the middle of reading about the blood wars between the dragon and gryphon races when a voice broke his concentration. Standing at the doorway was a male unicorn in gold colored armor signifying he was a part of Princess Celestia's guard.

"Her Majesty requests your presence in the royal gardens and has instructed that I bring you to her," the guard announced.

Curious.

"Very well," he replied, and after memorizing what page he was on closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. "Lead the way then."

"One moment," the guard stated as his horn glowed. In the blink of an eye there was a flash of white light and as soon as it faded Ulquiorra could see they were no longer in the library but rather outside.

"How? That wasn't sonido, what was that?" Ulquiorra asked, now genuinely curious at what was transpiring. That was neither sonido nor garanta, nor was it shunpo or even hirenkyaku.

"Simple teleportation," came the response from Celestia to the west of their current position. "Thank you, that'll be all."

The guard gave a nod of understanding before turning and leaving the garden area as instructed, leaving the two alone. To Ulquiorra no other life signs seemed to register. Curiouser and curiouser.

"So what is my purpose here?" Ulquiorra asked bluntly.

"I wanted to talk to you in private, where there wouldn't be any eavesdropping. There are a few late arrival nobles who Luna's dealing with right now in the Night Court, the rest of my guard has retired for the night so it's just the two of us," Celestia explained.

"And what did you wish to discuss?" Ulquiorra asked.

"More about previously. As I've said I need to be concerned about the safety and wellbeing of my subjects and all the little ponies I watch over. Knowing what I do about your past and where you came from I can't make any snap decisions," Celestia explained as she turned away to face the night sky.

"And how do you propose verification?" Ulquiorra asked.

"I'm not entirely sure of that just yet. Nopony knows what happens after death, whether there's an afterlife or not. But the idea of a soul eater being loose in Equestria is still unsettling," Celestia admitted.

"You have no reason to trust that I won't succumb to the baser instinct of fresh Hollows. That's understandable as I'm the first of my kind to be found in this land," Ulquiorra elaborated.

"So you can see my point," Celestia replied.

"I can. Is that why you're currently testing me?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Pardon?" Celestia asked as she turned her head around to face him.

"I don't have extensive knowledge of alicorn anatomy and physiology. But even I can see that you've allowed the tension in your muscle structure to release for the first time since my arrival here. It almost looks as if you're deliberately dropping your guard," Ulquiorra explained. "Are you attempting to evaluate my loyalty by presenting an opportune target in case I wish to attack you?"

"Now whatever gave you that idea?" Celestia asked.

"The lack of guards present to act as an interruption, the visual dropping of your guard and having turned your back on one you have informed you don't trust. All together are very suspicious in nature and would suggest ulterior motives," Ulquiorra explained calmly as he kept his hands in his pockets.

_"So it wasn't arrogance that I saw. He really_ is _that smart,"_ Celestia thought as she turned back around to face him directly. Had he simply not taken the bait because he knew that was the test?

"What did you expect me to do? Did you believe that I would draw my zanpakutō and cut your head off? Discharge my cero? Devour your soul in a blind state of unrelenting hunger simply because you were not guarded?" Ulquiorra asked. "Make no mistake about it there _are_ several members of the Espada that wouldn't have thought twice about taking the bait and launching an attack against you. However I'm not one of them."

Celestia remained silent as he more or less lectured her on the situation. Was he being arrogant or simply explanatory in nature? Was he going out of his way to mock how her test had been blatantly obvious to him?

"If this little exercise has concluded then I ask to be returned to the library. It's reasonable to conclude that my refusal to strike hasn't assuaged your concern about me, in which case there's no use in my remaining here," Ulquiorra stated.

"Very well. I'll have to escort you back myself as my guards are no longer available," Celestia replied.

The trip back to the library was much like the trip from the library, being carried out in a flash via teleportation. Ulquiorra merely went back to where he'd stood previously and withdrew the book he'd been reading prior to the interruption.

"Is there anything you need before I leave for the evening?" she asked.

"I do. If I'm to remain under your rule then I request a purpose to justify my continued existence," Ulquiorra replied.

She blinked in confusion at what he was saying. "I'm afraid I don't understand," Celestia stated.

"In Hueco Mundo my purpose was to serve Aizen in any manner requested of me. He assigned me to protect Las Noches against any threat that may arise. Despite my best efforts I failed and as such there was no continued justification for my life or even my existence. Without a reason or purpose my existence here is devoid of meaning," he explained.

"Oh..." Celestia replied, uncertain of what to say in response to the full weight of his words. "I'll...see what I can do about that, but I can't make any guarantees."

Ulquiorra said nothing, simply opening his book to the same page he was on and continuing to read in interest.

"Before I leave I need to ask. Would you have taken the bait if it wasn't so obvious?"

Ulquiorra cast her an aside glance. "No. Even if I were prone to backstabbing and treachery like the other Espada an assault against you would still prove useless. Your reiatsu level is greatly in excess of mine. Regardless of whatever I could attempt it would prove to be nothing more than a fruitless endeavor," he explained calmly. "I don't make judgements about those in a position in authority as it's not my place to question their decisions. Even if you proved to be a tyrannical dictator I have no aspirations of doing something about it."

"That's...reassuring I suppose..." Celestia replied awkwardly. "Do...do you believe I'm a tyrannical dictator? Have I done something to give that impression?"

Ulquiorra was quiet for a moment in thought. He had hoped this matter wouldn't come up. However it did and there was no point in lying about it. He hesitated only slight before speaking up. "On the surface you cultivate the image of benevolence, caring and patience. Beneath that surface however I have reason to believe you possess all the qualities necessary to be a tyrannical dictator who rules her kingdom with fear and intimidation. The banishment of your own sister to a fate that many would consider to be one worse than any imaginable death would serve as an effective tool of terror to quell any form of rebellion in your land as no mortal being would feel motivated to experience eternal suffering with no hope of the release of death. My reading of Equestria's national history would suggest the banishment of the being Nightmare Moon is as widespread as it is respected and feared. Even if you didn't intend to subject another to such punishment all you would need to do to maintain control is allow history to speak for itself and the natural fear of the living would do the rest. If you commanded there to be no wars who would oppose you if they believed they would be banished to the moon for such an offense?"

Celestia was silent as she listened, letting his words sink in fully. They cut her quite deeply as he explained how he considered her to be a tyrant that exploited her own sister for the sake of her rule. The truly cruel part was the fact that this wasn't a thought that was baseless in nature but rather one that she'd had to entertain during her thousand years of solitary rule. She knew that there was the possibility of such thoughts floating around her kingdom despite everyone then knowing about the evils of Nightmare Moon. And she'd done her best to quash those fears and thoughts through benevolence and love to reassure them that they wouldn't ever have to face the same fate. She'd hoped that her kindness had eased their fears, but she could never tell for certain.

And here he'd reopened those old wounds with his accurate observations and he'd been here for just over a day.

"Well then..." she paused. He'd really given her a lot to think about, and more than likely he was going to be responsible for denying her another night of restful sleep. "I think I've interrupted you enough for the evening. I'll take my leave now and leave you to your own devices," she replied and turned to leave without another word. However one thought in particular started nagging at her and she needed to get answers before she could leave. "So even though you consider me to be a tyrant you wouldn't make any attempt to kill me?"

"I merely stated there was reason to believe you had potential to be a tyrant, not that you were. There's a difference between the two," Ulquiorra replied. "And in answer to your question, no I would not. As I have explained before it's not my place to question those I find myself in service to."

Now she was more disturbed than before. Without another word she left the library to think over what had transpired during the course of the day. If it wasn't the various nobles being childish it was an otherworldly being stated that he'd follow her orders even if she was a tyrant. She could just tell she wasn't going to get any peace from this brewing migraine.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

"Ulquiorra Cifer, a word please."

The hour was late but it wasn't of any concern to him; when you didn't need sleep the time was irrelevant. Not needing sleep meant there was more time for relevant matters like studying the history of this new land he was in. Even with his revelation to Princess Celestia about his observation of her character there were still unanswered questions. A tyrannical dictatorship alone wouldn't be enough to explain the relative peace the nation had been supposedly blessed with. Even if Princess Celestia had the intention of truly sending insurgents to the moon as punishment it wouldn't be a feasible approach of hundreds or thousands of potential workers rose up in revolt. Such an approach would risk massive depopulation of the available work force alone with the possibility of extinction of the race.

However his studies were yet again interrupted as Princess Luna entered the library and addressed him directly. The princesses seemed insistent on interrupting him at the most inopportune times as if everything was planned and orchestrated.

"What do you want?" Ulquiorra asked simply.

"Wouldst thou be interested in a snack break to thee's learning of our land?" Luna asked and levitated in a plate holding a slice of chocolate cake; a piece she'd squirreled away from her sister earlier in the day.

"No," Ulquiorra replied simply.

Luna frowned. "Dost thou always speak in such a blunt manner to everyone?"

"What would you suggest?" Ulquiorra asked.

"A measure of courtesy at times wouldst be appreciated," Luna pointed out.

"No thank you then," Ulquiorra replied. He expected that to be the end of it but Princess Luna remained. "I suspect etiquette wasn't the entirety of what you wanted to speak about."

"Didst thou truly accuse our sister of being a tyrant?" Luna asked curiously.

"I merely stated that it's not my place to question those who have authority even if others would. She asked during a moment of weakness and I explained how she possesses sufficient traits to become a tyrant if she so desired, nothing more. If she's emotionally shaken after being confronted with such an observation then it's no fault of mine," Ulquiorra explained and went back to focusing on his book.

"Thou art not exactly the first to make such an observation. But thee are the only one we know of to openly state it to her face and explained why. It was...upsetting..." Luna explained. Ulquiorra said nothing in response so she continued. "And to suggest that we were nothing more than a pawn to further her rule. We must admit we are not happy with thee right now."

"Do you plan on seeking retribution for my bluntness? Or are you simply venting to settle your emotional unrest?" Ulquiorra asked without so much as a second thought.

"Rest assured were we the primary ruler of Equestria the dungeon wouldst indeed be a possibility. But our dear sister doth not punish her subjects for their opinions of her regardless of what they may be. We shalt forgive thee thine's transgression this time. but we make no promise if there be a next time," Luna stated.

"Duly noted," Ulquiorra replied and flipped the current page to continue reading. "Thank you for your kindness and understanding."

Luna couldn't tell if the last part was genuine or merely sarcasm. His tone was always so even and flat and devoid of feelings it was impossible to get a good reading on him. For right now she'd leave it be as there were other matters to discuss.

"Our sister also told us that thou devoured the souls of others. Is this true?" she asked.

Another page flip. "It is. A long time ago."

"Doth thou remember who they were?" Luna asked.

"No I don't. Hollows by nature don't retain memories during their early, untamed time. Those we devour are nothing more to us than a rabbit to a gryphon. We're no more likely to remember them than we are to have regrets for our actions," he explained calmly.

Perhaps she was far too quick to take pity on this one with the sad eyes. She could understand why her sister was so cautious around him. His lack of remorse for previous actions wasn't very comforting to her. "Doth thou have any regrets prior to coming here?" she asked.

"My inability to fulfill my duty of protecting Las Noches," he replied simply, never looking up from his book.

There was silence in the library after that apart from the sound of the pages being flipped periodically. Luna didn't know what to say at that point and Ulquiorra wasn't inclined to talking.

"What were the other Espada like?" Luna asked after a long stretch of silence.

Ulquiorra paused and cast an aside glance. He reached up to his face by his Hollow mask and much to Luna's shock plucked out his left eye as if it were nothing more than a ping pong ball, before crushing it like a fragile crystal and allowing the pieces to scatter and form into a cloud before her. All she could do was watch in shocked silence as images were displayed before her while he narrated.

"Diez Espada Yammy Llargo. His aspect of death is rage. Loud, impulsive, arrogant, overconfident in his own abilities and quite stupid. Ranked the lowest of all Espada and holds the dubious honor of being the Cero Espada. He believes himself to be strongest of all due to this ranking however he's far from correct as cero is not a valid ranking but rather an explanation of his overall abilities. Among the Espada he serves the purpose of court jester. In simple terms he's nothing more than trash."

The image changed from the physically largest of Espada to one bearing a high collar and obstructive looking mask.

"Noveno Espada Aaroniero Arruruerie. His aspect of death is greed. Prideful, cruel sadistic in nature but reasonably intelligent. The only Espada of Gillian-class evolution but in possession of attributes Aizen deemed unique in nature. The Hollows he consume add to his repertoire of knowledge and abilities, providing him with a unique potential for growth and evolution not possessed by any other Espada."

The image changed to a scrawny looking being of pale coloration, pink hair and glasses and dressed far differently than the previous two.

"Octava Espada Szayelaporro Granz. His aspect of death is madness. Highly intellectual but this is outweighed by his narcissism, Crudeness, flamboyancy and melodrama. He possesses the unique ability to study his opponents and immunize himself against their techniques and abilities."

The image changed again to a tall and muscular being of dark coloration. Luna didn't know what it was but something about his appearance reminded her of Zecora to an extent.

"Séptima Espada Zommari Rureaux. His aspect of death is intoxication. Respectable intelligence overshadowed by arrogance. He regards himself as fastest in the art of sonido. Whether or not he deserves the title is questionable."

The image changed again to a being with blue hair and a sinister and wild grin on his face and pieces of animal jaw on the right side of his face.

"Sexta Espada Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. His aspect of death is destruction. Impulsive, hot headed, short sighed, disrespectful, sadistic, brutal and rude. There is no shortage to negative aspects he possesses. Utter trash. He possesses no redeeming qualities whatsoever."

Despite his calm and even tone Luna could tell there was some bitterness to his words. However she remained silent as she was greeted by an exceedingly lanky character with an eye patch and a most disturbing toothy grin.

"Quinto Espada Nnoitra Gilga. His aspect of death is despair. Rude, crude, lecherous, disrespectful, chauvinistic, and exceedingly bloodthirsty. He regards his hierro as strongest of all Espada but that is a matter more of opinion rather than fact. Of all the Espada he is the most...unpleasant in nature."

The image changed again displaying another figure of dark skin, wild spiky hair and most of its face concealed beneath the high collar of its jacket. By far it wore the most revealing of all outfits.

"Tres Espada Tier Harribel. Her aspect of death is sacrifice. Calm, intellectual and analytical in nature. Unlike others she prefers not to engage in combat until she has gathered sufficient information to formulate an educated observation. Of all she is the most polite in nature. No outstanding specialties worth noting."

A grizzled and heavily worn face wearing a crown came into view next.

"Dos Espada Baraggan Louisenbairn. His aspect of death is time or more specifically aging. Former ruler of Hueco Mundo. Boastful, arrogant, stubborn and prideful in nature. He is easily provoked to anger and displays extreme short sightedness when aroused. He possesses the ability to control time around him and can age his opponents into dust; even Hollows who are eternal can die of old age in his presence."

The image faded away to reveal a tall and lean individual with brown hair and a goatee, standing next to a female being of diminutive size and build with pale green hair and one pink eye.

"Primera Espada Coyote Starrk. His aspect of death is solitude. Disinterested, lazy and unenthusiastic about nearly everything, preferring to sleep whenever possible, however he is loyal and obedient. Of all the Espada by far the strongest. His reiatsu is so intense and overwhelming that any Hollow below the level of Gillian dies merely by being in his presence. To try and alleviate this he divided every aspect of his being to create a secondary half known is Lilynette Gingerbuck, the two existing as individuals with unique personalities."

Luna was silent as the images came to an end and the cloud faded away. The creatures she'd seen were just as strange looking -if not even stranger- than Ulquiorra Cifer himself. She turned to look at him directly and ask if it was really necessary for him to destroy his eye to give the display but stopped before even the first word was formed. Sitting in his left socket was his eye and still intact and unharmed. How had he done that? _Why_ had he done that? There were just so many questions she didn't know what to begin. Did all the Espada represent an aspect of death? Were they embodiments of their aspect? Some of them had numbers displayed...were their numbers indicative of their rank or were they the equivalent of cutie marks?

"Didst thou perform such a display for our dear sister as well?" Luna finally asked.

"Princess Celestia chose to probe my mind directly. Seeing memories without knowing the reasons behind them ultimately serves no purpose. Even if it did it would take far too long for her to sort through all of my memories to gather whatever information she believed was relevant. Solita vista does not possess a fast forward option," Ulquiorra explained.

"Were thou friends with the other Espada?" Luna asked.

"No. The concept of "friendship" was not something the Espada chose to recognize or practice. We were united by a common goal of serving Aizen to the best of our abilities and even at the cost of our own lives. Beyond that we shared no similarities that would allow us to be considered friends to one another. Even if the others did I do not; my aspect of death is emptiness."

Emptiness. The same word her sister had used to describe him. With this revelation it seemed as no wonder that he would be so empty to her if that was what he physically represented. However that thought gave her reason to feel bad for him. He was admitting that he truly was just a shell with nothing inside of him.

Ulquiorra merely returned to reading his book without another word.

There was an overwhelming sense of despair in the living room, it almost felt palpable in nature to Luna. It was deeply disturbing on a level she wasn't comfortable with. Without anything more than a mumble she turned and left the library, deciding to let her shadow guard have the dubious honor of keeping an eye on their guest, taking the cake away with her.

* * *

Another night without proper sleep. This was starting to become very old very quick. Celestia hadn't been forced to go through sleepless nights for a long time and she'd become accustomed to that blissful escape each night. Looking back maybe that was a mistake on her part considering how much trouble she was currently having. Once again her dreams were being haunted and disturbed by what she'd encountered in Ulquiorra's mind.

And she still had no idea what they were going to do with the Arrancar. How could she safely allow him to have access to Equestria? _Could_ she safely allow him to have access to Equestria?

Grumbling she dragged herself out of bed and groomed herself, knowing the morning would once again subject her to the mercy of the uppity nobles who continued to selfishly demand that they be allowed more money for their own petty indulgences in society. Glancing over at the adornments she had to wear she pondered a rather mischievous idea. Maybe she'd open the Day Court while stark naked and demand that anypony who wished to air their grievances must do the same; see the look on their faces at being forced to shed their four or five figure value dresswears in order to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who were far more in need than they were.

The more she thought about that idea the more appealing it became. She might do just that.

However no matter what she thought nothing was going to change the conversation from last night. She was still somewhat disturbed by it all. She was left feeling outmatched by someone new to their world, how easily he'd caught onto her little test last night. And even though he hadn't stated outright that he considered her a tyrant she just couldn't get that thought out of her mind. Perhaps most disturbing was the fact that he said he'd serve her even if she was as it wasn't his place to question her rule. How could he state something like that with absolutely no hesitation?

"This isn't getting me anywhere," she muttered to herself and set her manebrush back down on the nightstand and thought.

Despite her hesitation and conflicting emotions there was something that she needed to remember first and foremost; regardless of who or what he was Ulquiorra was no longer in his own world or dimension. He'd been plucked out of what had been familiar to him -as well as death according to what Discord had said- and thrust into this new and strange world where his ways were unheard of. As much as she wanted to be concerned she had to remember that he also needed help. And if she didn't help him who could she expect to? It's not like she could just pass him off to somepony else to do the dirty work. She'd accepted him into her kingdom and now it was her responsibility to see it through.

"I'll just have to be more understanding and accepting," she told herself as she levitated her adornments on and into place. She'd seek out Ulquiorra before the Day Court was set to open and tell him that she'd do what she could for him. But the first order of the day was breakfast, she felt like she was starving right now and diplomacy never went well on an empty stomach.

* * *

The morning meal was much like the evening meal of the previous night, only this time around it was Luna that seemed more upset and somewhat detached, that fact wasn't lost on Celestia. Whereas yesterday Luna was more cheery today she was far more subdued and even withdrawn.

"Is something wrong Luna?" she asked while her slice of toast was in the middle of being buttered.

"No dear sister, nothing is wrong," Luna replied simply. Nothing physical anyway. Mentally she was still feeling upset by last night's conversation. But how did she explain that to Celestia and make her understand what she was feeling? The fact that he'd plucked out his own eyeball so readily and crushed it without hesitation didn't help either. And how had he regrown it? "Hast thou figured what to do about Ulquiorra Cifer?"

"I don't have an exact plan just yet, but I'm working on one," Celestia replied before taking a bite of toast. "Perhaps inspiration will strike me in the Day Court and I'll have an idea then."

"Perhaps that would be best," Luna replied and nodded in agreement.

"In the meantime I have to get the Day Court open...and some nobles to entertain..." Celestia stated and stood up from the table, a mischievous glint in her eyes at the last part.

Luna watched silently as Celestia left the dining hall; at least silently on the outside. On the inside the gears of an antiquated but exquisitely designed machine were turning in thought as a plan was being formed and just waiting to be set into motion. It was risky and there could be consequences to face afterwards. But it was worth the chance as far as she was concerned.

* * *

Spike didn't want to be mean, he really didn't. He had a great deal of love for Twilight, she was his family and had raised him from an egg. Sure she was bossy at times but that didn't change anything. But none of that changed the fact that she really shouldn't be singing.

Several days ago during one of Pinkie's random singing escapades Twilight had heard a song that got stuck in her head and she would just randomly start humming or singing it, and horribly off key to boot. He really should've said something but he didn't have a clue how to tell her that she couldn't carry a note for anything.

"Ugh," he groaned as his ears were assaulted by a particularly sour note being struck and mercilessly beaten to death with a blunt implement. Where were his earplugs when he needed them? This was no longer mere annoyance but all out misery, Twilight's singing was actually giving him indigestion right now. In fact if she kept it up he was in serious danger of...

A loud belch and a jet of green fire put an end to his thoughts as a scroll fell into his hands. Twilight's musical murdering was thankfully stopped at the delivery. Eager to keep it that way Spike quickly opened the scroll and scanned it, however there was no reading as his eyes moved back and forth rapidly.

"Spike? What's it say?" Twilight asked curiously.

"I think you'd better see this for yourself. Princess Celestia didn't send this, this one's from Princess Luna!" Spike stated and passed the parchment to her.

"Princess Luna? Really?" Twilight asked and levitated the parchment over so she could read it.

_Dear Twilight Sparkle,_

_ A situation of a most unique and interesting nature hath arisen and we request thou's presence at Canterlot Castle immediately. We are deploying our personal chariot to Golden Oaks Library so that thou may arrive in short order. Please come if at all possible._

_Signed,_

_Princess Luna, your friend and keeper of the dream world_

_P.S. Yes Spike may come too._

Twilight read over the letter at least twice just to make sure she hadn't missed anything important. It was definitely from Princess Luna but it was entirely too vague to explain what the situation was. How was she supposed to know how to respond when left in the dark?

"This is...weird," Twilight commented.

"Yeah. I thought Princess Luna was asleep by now, and here she is sending you letters asking for us to go to Canterlot just like that?" Spike asked in response. He was accustomed to weird stuff by now but this was a whole new kind of weird. "Whadda we do?"

"What do we do?" Twilight repeated in disbelief as she looked at Spike. Surely he didn't ask that. "Princess Luna requested an audience with us and went so far as to send her own personal chariot for us to take so we can meet with her. What do you think we're doing to do, Spike? We're going to meet with her! This has got to be of great importance!" she stated.

"I know Twi' it's just...well this is really weird and all, I don't know where to begin. Princess Luna didn't say anything other than to show up," Spike explained.

"I know, Spike, isn't it absolutely fascinating? Out of everypony to ask for us it's Princess Luna, the one who controls the moon and watches over the night. And what's more she's asked for us during the daytime meaning she's passing up on her sleep to talk with us! I can't imagine how important this must be! I'm absolutely giddy with excitement!" Twilight stated.

Spike was starting to feel nervous. An excited Twilight could prove to be quite dangerous at times. Right now she was bordering on Pinkie Pie levels and if the matter wasn't resolved soon she'd be crossing that border; then he'd have to deal with the equivalent of Pinkie Pie with unicorn magic and that was a terrifying thought. Fortunately his concerns were soon displaced as the sight outside the window greeted him; Luna's chariot was touching down just outside, two of her scary looking guards pulling it.

"Looks like our ride's here," Spike commented.

"Well let's not keep anypony waiting. C'mon Spike we've got a princess to go and see!" Twilight stated and galloped out the front door.

"Hey wait for me!" Spike called and chased after her, trying to keep pace the whole way with his short little legs. Whatever it was he didn't want to miss out on it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three**

During the trip to Canterlot Twilight couldn't help but think about everything going on today. First a message from Princess Luna, then an escort on her personal chariot back to the castle. Something was up but she couldn't put her hoof on it. Making matters worse what the fact that no matter how hard she tried to figure it out she simply didn't have enough information to arrive at a conclusion, and mass wild guessing wouldn't be productive.

Turning her attention back to the two stallions -or whatever they were- her mind came back to her initial conclusions. Despite their scary appearance they were really nice. They spoke with a velvety soft voice and had a politeness about them that eased a lot of her tension about approaching them. Now she was observing them fly, the manner in which their bat-like wings flapped compared to how she'd seen Rainbow Dash fly. The movements were similar, the strokes were similar, the way they flexed their muscles were definitely similar. But there were key minute differences that put them worlds apart. It was really fascinating and would make for an interesting study later on when she had more time.

"So Princess Luna didn't tell you anything about why we were needed?" Spike asked one of them, finding it necessary to speak up to be heard over the rushing of the wind and the wing beats.

"No Sir. Her Majesty simply instructed us to head to Ponyville and bring you back to Canterlot," one of the guards replied, his voice uncharacteristic for his form and managing to leave Spike feeling somewhat uneasy. If they were rough and gravelly sounding at least he'd expect that.

The rest of the trip back to Canterlot passed in relative silence except for the occasional rattle of the chains, or the leather-like flaps of the bat wings.

"We're approaching the landing strip now," one of the guards announced as their trajectory adjusted, bringing into view another angle of the castle that neither Twilight nor Spike were accustomed to seeing as it faced away from the direction of the sun most of the time.

The descent was quick, sharp and more than a little bit scary their first time out and sent Spike cowering on the chariot's floor, but the approach had been even and their landing smooth as the wheels touched down on the firm stone, squealing as they came to a full stop.

"Is it over?" Spike asked as he looked up from the chariot floor.

"Sure seems that way," Twilight replied before dismounting the chariot, Spike close behind. "I wonder where Princess Luna is."

"Wonder no more friends, we art here!"

Both looked upward to see Luna flying over to them and touching down with far more grace than her chariot had. "Put the chariot in the hanger, then you may go," she told her guards before turning to face Twilight and Spike, her wings tucking themselves in at her sides. "We are quite happy to see thee again. 'Tis wonderful to be among friends."

"Always happy to help out, Princess," Twilight and gave a polite bow before raising to face her again. "I'm afraid your note didn't explain much. What's this interesting event you spoke of?"

"T'would take hours to explain by ourselves when thou can observe directly. Follow us to the royal library and everything will be explained there," Luna stated.

"Really? A surprise in the library?" Twilight asked excitedly. Being summoned by Princess Luna and told that there was something in the library waiting for her was inducing a feeling of giddiness in her. Spike merely rolled his eyes and said nothing, choosing to follow in silence as Twilight was making enough commotion for the both of them.

* * *

Several books laid open and spread out over the floor of the library. In his quest for more knowledge of his surroundings Ulquiorra had happened upon a passage that warranted further investigation and made reference to a number of other books in the library for more in depth explanation. In the midst of them was Ulquiorra sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, his zanpakutō sticking out of his sash at an odd and mildly uncomfortable angle.

However his reading was disturbed by an approaching presence. The feel of Princess Luna's reiatsu was quite familiar to him by now, but there was another approaching with an entirely different texture and feeling. That was enough interest to warrant him standing back up and turning away from his studies.

"This way," he heard Princess Luna stating, the soft "clop" of her hooves not quite able to overshadow a secondary set on the hard stone floors. If he strained to listen he could also pick up another set of footsteps that didn't sound anything like hooves. She came into view first followed by what appeared to be a unicorn, smaller in stature and in a more unnatural coloring, a mix of dark blues, lavendar, dark purple and hot pink, strange symbols adorning its hindquarters. To the side was another strange being of even smaller stature, reptilian in appearance, its scales made up of light purple and green.

"We have a guest," Princess Luna announced and used her foreleg to gesture over to him.

Twilight looked in the indicated direction and nearly gasped at what she saw standing there. She'd never seen anything like this before and the scientific part of her mind was quickly taking over, pushing her into examination mode. Who or whatever she was looking at it was safe to conclude this was no pony. Standing considerably taller than Princess Luna in a bipedal fashion but possessing no tail to serve as a counterbalance indicating an entirely different center of gravity to maintain such an unnatural balance. Dressed neck to hoof in weird white clothing with black edgings and a black sash at what could only be presumed to be its waist and black hoofwear. The skin was unnaturally pale, its mane jet black underneath a partial crown of boney structure on the side of its head, teal green eyes and a flat expressionless face with two teal green streaks running downward. Tucked into the sash was something that remotely resembled a sword, but not any sword she was familiar with despite her studies of Equestria's history.

While the unicorn remained silent and staring at him with an open mouth Ulquiorra decided to make a few observations of his own. His pesquisa showed that this one's reiatsu was significantly below that of Princess Luna, the only noteworthy aspect being slightly higher than that of the guards present. But while the reiatsu wasn't impressive the reiryoku was another story entirely. This small unicorn appeared to have a deep well of reiryoku to itself, and it seemed reasonable to conclude that the felt reiatsu was nothing more than an unconscious exercise of force resulting from its sheer amount. Perhaps the well ran so deep the physical body was simply unable to properly contain it and the excess leaked out. That would explain the fluctuations he was witnessing in her detectable reiatsu; it was almost pulsing in nature. Much like his observations regarding...

_"That's not necessary. Kill her Yami," Ulquiorra stated simply. The human woman had presented nothing of interest that would warrant bringing her back to Aizen-sama. She was nothing more than utter trash at the moment and there was no reason to bother keeping her alive._

_"Okay, then!" Yami had stated with far too much enthusiasm as he threw his massive palm forward to eliminate her. However he never even got close as his palm was stopped by the point of an incredibly sized zanpakutō held by a Shinigami with unacceptably loud orange hair standing before the human woman. "Who the hell are you...!?" Yami demanded in surprise and anger._

_"Kurosaki-kun..." the woman spoke in her soft squeaky voice to the Shinigami before her._

_"Sorry I'm late, Inoue," the Shinigami stated as he looked back at the woman in an apologetic manner._

_"No...I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun...I...if I was a little stronger..." she squeaked as she looked back at the other two humans who were currently laying on the ground gravely injured._

_"Don't apologize, Inoue. Don't worry either," the Shinigami spoke as he turned back around to face them directly. "Everything will be fine...after I beat these two!"_

_Ulquiorra watched as the Shinigami brought his zanpakutō forward and took a two handed grip on the hilt, his reiatsu flaring dramatically as he spoke with authority. "Bankai!"_

_There was a massive display of reiryoku in the air kicking up dust in every direction that disappeared just as quickly as it came. The Shinigami now stood before them, his zanpakutō far smaller and less cumbersome in appearance, his Shihakushō an entirely different pattern and resembling more of a tattered overcoat. "Tensa Zangestsu!" he spoke with an authority in his voice. There was a pause before he continued, addressing the human behind him without turning around. "Inoue. Leave."_

_"Okay," the woman replied, barely audible in nature._

_"Did he say bankai?" Yami asked as he scratched the side of his head. "Hey, Ulquiorra...is this guy...?"_

_"Yeah. It's amazing how your senseless ruckus lured him out so effortlessly," Ulquiorra replied as he focused on the Shinigami, or rather the human turned Shinigami. "The orange hair and black bankai...yes. He is our target, Yami."_

_"Suerte!" Yami bellowed excitedly and drew his massive fist back. "I've saved us the time to track you down!"_

_Yami's fist was fast and strong, but effortlessly stopped in place as the Shinigami raised his zanpakutō, the force of the impact shattering the ground around him while leaving him unmoved. Most curious._

_"Are you the one...who ripped off Chad's right arm?" the Shinigami asked. "Then I'm going to take your right arm, too."_

_What followed next was a display of speed and strength that took both Espada by surprise. In the blink of an eye the Shinigami had easily cleaved through Yami's right arm with his zanpakutō, the severed limb falling to the ground with a thud._

_"What!?" Yami yelled in surprise._

_"That idiot..."Ulquiorra thought as he watched the battle unfold. Yami was without a doubt powerful, yet the Shinigami was far more nimble and agile. "I keep telling him to practice reading his opponents. Yet, he still just lunges out recklessly. Though it still is surprising that brat could cut through Yami's hierro and lop off his arm. I heard that he only recently acquired his bankai...and he already has such solid reiatsu. But still...at this level, he presents no threat to Aizen-sama."_

_Yami was left panting in physical exhaustion. The Shinigami had managed to land several serious cuts to his body while remaining unharmed himself. He was furious at this turn of events and even moreso at how the trash's face was mocking him!_

_"Damn you little shit...!" Yami bellowed._

_"You're still standing! You're as hardy as you look," the Shinigami commented as he rested his zanpakutō on his shoulder._

_"Looks like you're struggling. Do you want to switch?" Ulquiorra asked._

_"Shut up!" Yami bellowed even louder as he grew angrier than before and took hold of his zanpakutō's hilt with his left hand._

_"Hey. Hey. Is it really necessary to use a zanpakutō against someone like him?" Ulquiorra asked, the strange look on the Shinigami's face not going unnoticed._

_"I told you to shut up!" Yami yelled back in response as he drew his zanpakutō. "Coming!"_

_However Yami didn't succeed in getting his zanpakutō unsheathed before the Shinigami began acting strangely, grasping the right side of his face, his body racked by his own wildly fluctuating reiatsu. "Go away!"_

_Yami grinned evilly and returned his zanpakutō to the sheath before kicking the Shinigami in the gut, sending him flying and collapsing on the ground._

_"Kurosaki-kun!" the woman screamed and reentered the picture, desperately worried about her savior._

_"Stay away, Inoue!" the Shinigami managed to order back, but far too late to prevent her from getting into range for Yami to slap her aside effortlessly. "Inoue!"_

_"Shut up!" Yami yelled and turned his attention back to him and began another brutal assault. "Hah! I don't know why, but he stopped moving! Then die! Die, you little shit!"_

_"How strange..." Ulquiorra observed as he watched Yami continue his relentless assault. "The fluctuation in the brat's reiatsu increased...the range of fluctuation is amazing. At the lowest point he is just trash. But at the highest point he is above me...where is the logic in this...?"_

_The Shinigami was a bloody and broken mess on the ground, barely able to move even in the slightest. Yami seemed to have grown tired of him at this point. "It's over, you little shit! I'm going to crush you into a bloody pulp!" **_

The entire flashback had taken less than a second to play out in its entirety. But it had been more than enough time to make an accurate comparison and observation and was sufficient to serve its purpose. This unicorn's reiatsu and reiryoku levels were indeed like those of Ichigo Kurosaki; the human who was responsible for him being here now. How was that possible?

"Cuatro Espada Ulquiorra Cifer, hailing from Las Noches of Hueco Mundo," Princess Luna announced to them, snapping the unicorn out of her dazed appearance.

"Ah!" it stated in a definitely feminine tone as it came back to its senses. "Saludos y Bienvenidos a la ciudad de Canterlot! Mi nombre es Twilight Sparkle, estudiante personal a Princesa Celestia!" she stated and bowed her head.

Unfortunately there was no response other than a long stretch of silence. A really long stretch of silence Curiously she looked up and saw the two teal eyes looking down at her, an unreadable expression all she was greeted with just like when she'd first walked into the room. It was almost like she was having a stare down with a statue.

"Um..." she paused as she raised her head again. "Did I say something wrong? Did I use a masculine pronunciation when I should've used feminine? Did I not roll my R's correctly?" she asked. She'd been practicing her pronunciations, she really had. But illustrations in a book provided little assistance in learning how to properly speak a new language, and without any skilled linguists in the area she was on her own on this one.

"I don't understand what you said just now," Ulquiorra replied.

Spike blinked. Now _that_ voice sounded more appropriate for Princess Luna's guards than what he'd heard actually coming from them. It just proved to be another confusing aspect of everything going on around him.

"No? I'm sorry, I thought based on your name and where you're from you were fluent in one of the regional dialects I've been studying," Twilight apologized. The voice definitely sounded masculine, it was safe to assume this was a male she was talking to.

"Maybe he's from somewhere in Saddle Arabia," Spike suggested as she stepped forward. "Check out his sword. It's thin and curved like it's designed for a unidirectional trajectory, unlike the swords we've seen in the history books that're larger, straight and double edged. His looks kinda like their talwars*," Spike pointed out. "And look at what he's wearing. Saddle Arabia's a desert region and it's always hot there, the white robes would be used to prevent heat exhaustion by reflecting the sunlight away from the body and keeping the cool air in."

"A reasonable hypothesis considering what I've read regarding the nation. But it is incorrect. Las Noches and Hueco Mundo aren't located anywhere near this Saddle Arabia," Ulquiorra replied.

The little one was actually closer than it likely knew. Both Saddle Arabia and Hueco Mundo were desert regions and largely inhospitable to the unprepared. Arrancar robes were to some degree protective against the element whenever they had to leave Las Noches. However the similarities were limited.

"Well wherever you're from welcome to Canterlot. My name's Twilight Sparkle and this is Spike," she explained, gesturing over to her assistant before extending her foreleg towards him.

So this was the Twilight Sparkle that Princess Luna had referred to as Princess Celestia's dear student. Ulquiorra looked at the unicorn in uncertainty as it kept its leg extended. Glancing over to Princess Luna he could see she was glancing back in an expectant manner. Perhaps it was safe to conclude this was a pony's equivalent of physical greeting. And perhaps it was safe to conclude that this was one of the circumstances in which courtesy should be exercised as Princess Luna explained; if for no other reason than this unicorn holding a noteworthy position with his new and current ruler. Taking his right hand from his pocket he wrapped his fingers around her foreleg just above her hoof to return the gesture.

"That's...not a hoof is it?" Twilight asked as her mind was instantly snapped back into analytical mode at the strange appendage. It looked a lot like a dragon's claws but lacked the roughness they characteristically displayed.

"A hand," Ulquiorra replied and released his grip. Another fluctuation in her detectable reiatsu levels.

"Fascinating...could you...could you flex it so I could see?" she asked. She watched as Ulquiorra complied, flexing his hand in a number of different ways and into different shapes and showing just how far each individual point could bend, leaving her in stunned silence...for a moment anyway. "That's so incredible!"

"I don't get the fascination, Twi', you've seen me do stuff like that before," Spike pointed out. For his part he was confused at Twilight's sudden amazement. It didn't look like anything spectacular to him. He looked down at his own hand and flexed it in a similar manner, not seeing a difference.

"I know Spike but this is an entirely new level of physical dexterity that likely exceeds that of a dragon. The potential for fine motor skills is practically unlimited with how he can bend and flex his...his...all of these things that make up his hand. Entire books could be filled detailing their physical structure alone. This is an unprecedented discovery and we're right on course to the precipice!" Twilight stated.

Ulquiorra merely stared and remained silent, moving to tuck his hand back into his pocket but found it restrained by a lavender aura as Twilight stepped closer.

"Sorry about that," Spike apologized, knowing there was little else he could do. "Twilight's a scientist. Anytime something new and unfamiliar comes along she gets like this. She means well though...um...what was your name again?"

"Ulquiorra Cifer," he replied. He already knew he'd be introducing himself and making a long explanation yet again the way things were going. The way the unicorn was examining his hand like Szayelaporro Granz would examine a test subject, he got the feeling that there would be significantly more questions to answer this time around than ever before. Perhaps it would be best to begin with a question of his own. "What is that strange symbol she bears on her hindquarters?"

He had noticed the markings in the same region possessed by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna but had thought nothing of it. Seeing as they were rulers and proclaiming titles of domination over the sun and the moon, respectively, it only seemed logical that they'd bear some symbol of their reign. But this one possessed no such indication as far as he could see. Perhaps hers bore some similarity to the numeric system of the Espada. Did she hold the position of fifth or sixth strongest in her particular group? Or perhaps it was an indication of some field she exercised domination over and was a representation of the stars in the night sky.

"You mean her cutie mark?" Spike asked.

"I'm unfamiliar with the term. What exactly is a "cutie mark" and what purpose does it serve?" Ulquiorra asked.

At this Twilight snapped out of her trance and looked up at him, releasing her magical hold on his wrist. "You don't know what a cutie mark is?" she asked. Then she remembered that he wasn't from around here so she could see how it wouldn't make sense. "Well a cutie mark is a special symbol all ponies get when they discover what their special talent in life is. Mine symbolizes that my special ability is magic, just like how Princess Luna's cutie mark symbolizes her control over the moon and the night sky. However cutie marks are sometimes open to interpretation and serve as a complimentary talent to what a pony already knows. My friend Rarity is very talented in fashion but her cutie mark symbolizes her skill with gemstones which she incorporates into her works," she explained.

"A rather interesting concept," Ulquiorra commented and tucked his hand back into his pocket now that it was free from its restraints. So the residents of this world were somehow branded with a visual representation of whatever labor they were most skilled in. While it would certainly make sense for specialized labor that required experts it made little sense if it applied to non-specialized areas that anyone could do. Was the janitorial staff branded in a similar manner with mops and buckets?

More interestingly was the question of just how limiting these "cutie marks" were in nature. Once branded was a pony limited to that particular field of work and denied advancement into any other area on the basis of not being specialized in that field? And what became of the workforce once a skilled worker of a particular field either died or retired? How were they replaced if others weren't branded in the same skill?

If this was the work of Princess Celestia then perhaps there was more evidence of her being tyrannical than he first assumed.

"Mr. Ulquiorra, Sir," Twilight spoke up, bringing his attention back to the present. However as soon as she had his attention she began to falter in confidence, her posture suggesting she was now nervous. "Um...could I...could I..._study you_?" she asked.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

Ulquiorra blinked.

"Study me?" he repeated in case his ears hadn't properly been working and she'd said something else. However when Twilight nodded that possibility was quickly eliminated.

A disturbing thought quickly asserted itself in his mind. Szayelaporro Granz had died well before him, he'd sensed it take place and knew it for a fact. And while that had only been days ago he had no understanding of how the different alternate universes and realities worked in relation to one another. Considering Twilight's perceived nature it couldn't entirely be ruled out that she might in some way actually _be_ the reincarnated soul of Granz and some of the former Espada's personality traits were shining through. Perhaps the way she'd been studying his hand just moments ago was an indication of this.

It was a disturbing thought to entertain, and entirely unsustainable with his current level of information. It wasn't a matter of logic but rather fiction and speculation. He decided to brush off the concern and forget the thought entirely, all in the amount of time between Twilight nodding her head and speaking again.

"I know it's a blunt question and all but you're utterly fascinating. There's not a single account of anyone or anything like you in Equestria's history that I can recall reading about. There are just so many questions that I'm coming up with while standing here and talking to you. Who you are, what you are, where exactly you're from, what kind of center of gravity you must have to maintain that strange posture...the sky's the limit on this one," Twilight explained.

Luna shook her head. She knew to expect something like this but she'd been foolish to estimate a reaction that was reduced from the current level of curiosity she was currently observing. She'd hoped that what Twilight had learned about friendship would be sufficient to abate some of her natural curiosity and allow for a smoother flow of discussion about various details but she'd been wrong. Her sister's prized student had shifted back into her previous self and it was leaving her concerned.

"Twilight Sparkle we art glad to see that thee has a most curious mind. But we didst not call thee here for such purposes. Ulquiorra Cifer is a guest not only in our land but our dimension thanks to the mischief of Discord. He is a stranger in a strange land and unfamiliar with all of the wonders that Equestria holds. We brought you here hoping that thou wouldst be able to help him in this matter," Luna explained, bringing Twilight's attention back to the present again. "Our sister wants to handle this matter gradually due to his foreign nature. We believe such a course is not necessary. And as our sister's prized pupil we believe that thou art the one who can most benefit Ulquiorra Cifer as you know better than anypony that the world cannot be fully experienced in a library."

"I'm sorry, Princess Luna, this is just so utterly fascinating I can't help myself. A new being here in Equestria from an unknown land, interdimensional travel, and now me being hoof selected to help him learn about Equestria? This is just so overwhelming, my head is almost spinning with thoughts of all the information that can be gathered and shared. There's so much to ask and so much to explain I don't even know where to begin!" Twilight stated.

The theory about this unicorn being one of the former Espada reincarnated into a new life seemed to lose whatever foundation it had as she spoke. Her tone and child-like curiosity were drastically different from the sadistic nature he knew that Granz possessed. In hindsight it seemed all the more ludicrous to consider such a possibility.

At the least she seemed well versed in the art of having a conversation. That was something he could respect.

"Then if I may I'll propose a starting point and a compromise. I'll answer all questions that I'm able to provided the same courtesy and cooperation is provided in return. Are such terms satisfactory to you three?" Ulquiorra asked.

"It sounds fair to me," Twilight replied and nodded. Spike nodded as well while Luna simply smiled.

"I wanna go first this time, I never get to ask the questions," Spike stated.

"Alright Spike you can go first," Twilight told him, both curious to see what would be asked and very eager to ask her own questions.

"Okay. Ulquiorra...right? Since Princess Luna says you come from a different dimension, and oh colt is that gonna be a big question later, I guess it's safe to assume your sword isn't a talwar or one of the different kinds native to Saddle Arabia and the surrounding territory. So what is it exactly?" Spike asked.

Twilight nearly giggled at hearing what Spike asked. Sometime during the course of his daydreams about being Rarity's knight in armor he'd developed an interest in armor, weapon and all things knight related. It only made sense that he'd ask something like this.

"This sword is what's called a zanpakutō, each one of them is unique to the wielder. Only the proper wielder can use their zanpakutō effectively, one does not transfer to another. My zanpakutō's name is Murciélago," Ulquiorra explained as he allowed his left hand to rest on the tsuba.

"Is it magically enchanted or something so only you can use it?" Spike asked as he eyed it from top to bottom.

Magic didn't exist in Hueco Mundo. At least nothing he would consider magic. Since his arrival here he'd begun to question the differentiation between the two worlds. "In a sense you could say that," he replied.

Spike was about to ask another question when Twilight quickly raised her foreleg and cut him off before he could even get the first syllable out. "Alright Spike that's enough questions about the sword, we've got important stuff to learn," she stated before turning back to face Ulquiorra. "Do you mind if I ask what species you are?"

"A ghost," Ulquiorra stated. He knew that if he stated he was a Hollow he would have to give the full explanation of what a Hollow was and what the evolutionary chain was. And chances were good he'd need to explain it anyway. But remembering Princess Luna's reaction and her conclusion he decided to get that out of the way first. "More accurately a conglomeration of many thousands of ghosts in corporeal form."

"A...ghost?" Twilight asked and tilted her head as she blinked in confusion. "You mean...actual disembodied spirits who've passed on from this mortal realm and went on to the afterlife?" She paused a moment before immediately launching into more questions. "What's it like? What's the afterlife like in your dimension? Is it nice? Are the good souls and bad souls segregated to different realms like it's believed they are here?"

"I'm unable to answer that question. Those souls that went into making my being never made it to the afterlife. Those tasked with escorting them to the next world never came for them," Ulquiorra explained. That wasn't the reaction he had anticipated from the unicorn. He had expected fear, apprehension, anything other than wonder and amazement.

"You mean you and all the others exist in a constant state of limbo?" Twilight asked. Her ears drooped as did her once excited expression as she considered the possibility of the one she was so excited to meet was existing in such a miserable manner. "I'm sorry..."

"You have no reason to be sorry. The facts of my existence aren't a source of displeasure for myself, they are nothing more than the facts of the matter," Ulquiorra replied. "Do you have more questions or is it my turn to begin asking?"

"Well this discovery warrants another question. The other thousands that're...in there with you...can you hear them or their thoughts? Is there a lot of commotion?" Twilight asked.

"Again I'm unable to answer that question. Only the most dominant of all personalities is able to emerge and take control. It's not known what becomes of the others. All I can say for certain is that whoever may have been unfortunate enough to become a part of me, I am unaware of their presence in my mind," Ulquiorra replied.

Another notable fluctuation in the intensity of the unicorn's reiatsu. It had moved from a notable pulse and was currently dimming to the point it was easily below the level of the guards. Perhaps her reiatsu was linked to her emotional state.

"It's now my turn to ask a question. What are the physiological properties behind magic and its practical application in this world?" Ulquiorra asked.

Almost immediately Twilight perked up, her bright mood returning and the intensity of her reiatsu with it. "Now that I can answer easily, I can answer that one easily!" she stated. "In its simplest terms "magic" is a catchall term for explaining the practical and deliberate application of free floating mana to achieve a desired goal. Some applications are passive nature and can be carried out in an instinctual manner while others have to be studied, learned and actively practiced like any other skill. However the proper application of magic is contingent on a number of factors. There are three main species of ponies; unicorn, pegasus and earth pony and each have their own unique way to utilizing mana and magic. Unicorns are the most fluent in the active use of magic and use their horns as a focal point for their spells for maximum effectiveness, which is the only way to cast the really advanced spells otherwise it's just a waste of mana to try. Pegasi actively utilize magic through their wings for flight and their hooves for moving and shaping clouds but they also possess the passive ability to rest on clouds as if they were physical constructs, which explains the city of Cloudsdale. Now when it comes to earth ponies their use of magic is passive and related to the matter of tending to nature, such as making plants and crops grow properly and requires no learned abilities or complex manipulations. By far earth ponies ironically have the easiest time utilizing magic due to this fact. Now this is where the field of magic really gets interesting; while unicorns actively exercise magic for all endeavors it requires a conscious effort like turning on a light with a switch, but with pegasi and earth ponies their magic requires little or no conscious effort depending on the application so in a sense their magic is on by default. It's a very interesting triangle of different strengths and weaknesses that keep each of the three working in a unique harmony with one another. Individually no race is truly superior but when they work in conjunction that's when the real magic begins."

Ulquiorra was silent during Twilight's explanation on the nature of magic, both listening to her words and noting how the pulsing of her reiatsu had returned during the lecture. There was definite reason to assume that it and her emotional state were connected in some way.

Right now she was sitting on the floor and trying to catch her breath but looking rather satisfied with herself, a slight smile in her face.

Luna for her part simply stood back and watched in silence. So far things were going quite well. Twilight Sparkle's friendly nature and desire to help others appeared to be in full swing right now. Perhaps this would properly address the problem of what to do with Ulquiorra Cifer while her sister hesitated and tended to other matters.

"So can you do magic?" Twilight asked.

"I've witnessed a number of incidents referred to as "magic" in my time here. Of the ones seen none come close to the techniques native to my original dimension. That said there are a number of techniques that could be considered "magic" in nature that various races can utilize. However I have declined to elaborate on my own abilities and your Princess Celestia had informed me that I'm under no obligation to do otherwise," Ulquiorra explained.

"She did?" Twilight asked, pouting at the prospect of not getting to see what magic was native to Ulquiorra's world and potentially learning some new magic herself. Why had she done something like that?

"So Ulquiorra...did you have friends back in this...Hueco Mundo place you came from?" Spike asked, deciding to try and change the topic so Twilight wouldn't press on with the subject of magic.

"I did not. Friendship was a concept I didn't understand and chose not to bother myself with. Back then it was nothing more than an intangible concept I deemed a construct of weak minds who simply wished not to be alone in the world and would look for any excuse to have company around no matter how limited the pretext," Ulquiorra replied. "In my world my eyes saw everything that existed. If my eyes couldn't see it then it simply didn't exist. That was the philosophy of my life."

"Nihilism?" Twilight asked. "You actually had the philosophical doctrine of nihilism in your world? The concept of nothingness being all there is to life, and by extension life is without meaning?"

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied and nodded once, a little surprised that the residents of this world would be familiar with a philosophical concept native to his world; even if it wasn't an entirely accurate explanation of the concept.

"Wow. I've read about such a philosophy but I could never wrap my head around it, it was always so uncomfortable to think about. I've never met anyone that actually chose to believe in such an outlook on life, it's just so depressing," Twilight stated and looked down at the floor.

"Doth thou still believe in such a concept of utter emptiness?" Luna asked.

Ulquiorra thought on the question. Emptiness was his aspect of death, his attribute. His life was empty and devoid of reason to justify his existence until Aizen provided him with a tangible purpose. But that had been in Hueco Mundo, and he was no longer in Hueco Mundo. He had others around that wanted to help him. There was no sense of familiarity in this world, no expansive deserts filled with emptiness as far as the eye could see.

"I'm not certain. At the very least I'm willing to consider alternate possibilities and outlooks on life," Ulquiorra replied and cast an aside glance at Princess Luna.

"Hey...Ulquiorra...I can accept that you're more or less a ghost of some kind, but earlier you more or less stated that that's because those tasks with escorting the dead to the afterlife didn't do their job. Who exactly is in charge of the escorting and why weren't they doing their job?" Spike asked.

He considered the question. Any other Espada would've taken the opportunity to poison willing listeners with lies about the Gotei 13 in order to swing them over to their side as supporters. That is if they didn't simply devour their souls for the simple fun of it. But he wasn't like the other Espada and not prone to their otherwise childish behaviors. Not that he had anything against willful deception, he'd engaged in such in the past without difficulty. But that didn't mean he had to go about it in an over the top manner like some would.

"Are you sure this is a question you want the answer to?" Ulquiorra asked, knowing full well what the tale would contain. Spike nodded. "Very well then. Allow me to explain to you the concept of the Shinigami race..."

* * *

For the first time in many years the Day Court had concluded and Celestia had a grin on her face at how well things had gone. The demands of the nobles were still as intolerable as ever before, but their delivery had made it all so entertaining. Their shock at being told how the court would proceed on this day and the looks on their faces had made listening to them well worth it.

It seemed the nobles and high society types were very attached to their expensive clothing and being told that all business would be conducted au natural induced an extreme amount of modesty and even embarrassment on them, while those lower on the social ladder had less hesitancy in complying; being informed that they'd be standing equal -it being silently implied they'd be regarded as equal to those they'd rather ignore- had taken some of the wind out of their sails and made the delivery of their demands very awkward and even timid in nature. More than once she had to bite her tongue, cheek or any other soft tissue part of her mouth to not burst into giggles at the pompous trying their hardest to seem dignified while standing naked in front of everypony.

Perhaps she'd implement this new tradition on a permanent basis as a way of properly connecting to one another without arbitrary barriers for differentiation. If the nobles adapted and could play nice then so be it. And if nothing else it would serve as a measure of compensation for what they insisted on putting her through every day.

Now that the royal duties were tended to for the day she had other things to tend to; namely Ulquiorra's presence in her kingdom. She truly hadn't given is as much consideration as she should've due to the antics of the Day Court serving as a distraction. But her earlier thoughts about needing to show him support in this new world had given her a few thoughts regarding an appropriate course of action. She was going to wind up largely playing this by ear.

As she approached the library she saw the guards were still present at the entrance, meaning Ulquiorra was still present as well. She nodded as she entered their line of sight and they silently nodded back, returning the greeting. However as she got closer she became curious as she heard something like a conversation going on inside the confines of the large room. Stepping inside and listening for where the sound was coming from she passed the various shelves until she found Ulquiorra in Luna's company and joined by -much to her shock and surprise- Twilight and Spike who were mostly carrying the conversation, asking a whole variety of questions about him.

"Wow!" she heard Spike exclaim, the question currently unknown to her but right now that wasn't important.

Celestia cleared her throat as she stepped further, drawing everyone's attention to her. Twilight's face beamed with incredible levels of excitement at seeing her.

"Princess Celestia!" she greeted and quickly bowed before raising her head back up again, a smile practically threatening to crack her face at this point. "It's good to see you again, Princess!"

"It's good to see you too, Twilight. I see you've met our guest," Celestia replied.

"Princess Celestia this is so incredible! We've been talking for hours and we've found out so much amazing information in that time. Do you know how many of Starswirl the Bearded's theories on extra-dimensional traveling have been confirmed just by Ulquiorra's presence here? Oh I really have to thank Discord for doing this!" Twilight stated excitedly. "And his hands! Princess you have no idea how much dexterity he has in his hands and how incredibly fascinating they are. And his fingers! Thumb, pointer finger, middle finger, ring and pinky finger! They're capable of such nimble and precise movements and his writing style shows such a level of control. He can do everyday tasks with the same level of skill only an experienced unicorn would be capable of!"

Ulquiorra in contrast was as blank in expression as ever, neither interested nor disinterested in the conversation that was going on before him.

"They seem most intrigued by Ulquiorra Cifer and all the knowledge he hath given them," Luna added.

"Well it's nice to see you've been getting so well acquainted," Celestia commented. "I must say I'm surprised to see you here today, I really wasn't expecting you."

"To be honest I didn't really plan on being here, but then I got a letter from Princess Luna asking me to come and visit and here we are," Twilight explained.

The change in atmosphere was almost tangible in detectability. Celestia's best efforts at a neutral but friendly expression suddenly gave way to a very serious look that was rarely displayed. And Luna unfortunately found herself on the receiving end of a most piercing gaze.

"What?" Celestia asked. "Is this true, Luna?"

"Dear sister-" Luna began but was interrupted.

"We need to talk," Celestia stated simply, causing her younger sister to visibly flinch at the words. She momentarily turned her attention back to Twilight, Spike and Ulquiorra. "You three stay here. Don't leave the library until we come back."

They were silent as they watched Celestia step out of the room, Luna following closely behind, her posture much like that of a child about to be scolded by an angry parent and maybe even punished. Whatever was going to happen it wasn't going to be pretty.

"So..." Spike spoke up after a long physically uncomfortable moment. "Do you play chess?" he asked as he turned to face Ulquiorra.

* * *

The atmosphere in the halls was painful as the princesses walking by in forced silence, Luna lingering behind, afraid of what she might be facing and yet worried if she stayed too far back her sister would drag her forward across the marble floors by her ears; a most painful experience she had no desire to experience once again.

"Get in," Celestia ordered once they'd arrived at their designation, her personal quarters. The door was opened quite easily by her magic as she stood there pointing a hoof for her sister to follow.

Luna reluctantly and hesitantly stepped into the room, Celestia soon following. The door was pulled shut and clicked into a locked position before a wave of magic washed over the room. Judging from its texture and intensity Luna could tell it was a high level soundproofing; something that didn't inspire confidence in her one bit.

"I'm not going to yell until I hear the full story. And I hope you have a good reason for your actions," Celestia told her, the tone of voice causing shivers to run up and down Luna's spine. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"We do. But we have a question and if we do not ask now we fear we may never have the opportunity to," Luna stated and breathed to steady herself. "Dost...dost thou still love us?"

* * *

As it turned out Ulquiorra did indeed play chess.

Procuring a chess set proved to be quite easy; it was really amazing what the guards would do once they were reminded who the little sister of the Captain of the Guard was...as well as a bearer of one of the Elements of Harmony and Princess Celestia's personal student.

The hard part was actually trying to best Ulquiorra in a game of wits. Both Twilight and Spike had some respectable aptitude at chess -Spike surprisingly had a slight advantage in terms of skill over Twilight- but compared to Ulquiorra they were both coming off as amateurs. Regardless of what color they played, no matter what maneuver they attempted neither one could get the upper hoof -or hand- on him. He didn't make any hasty or unguided plays, every single move and counter move was carefully plotted out and analyzed from all angles. Victory wasn't guaranteed for anyone in this case.

"So..." Spike muttered as he picked up his bishop and advanced it. "I know it's kinda a morbid question and all, but what do souls taste like anyway?" he asked.

"I don't recall if souls truly have a taste or not. It's been a long time since I was an Adjuchas and had any need to consume souls. Prior to becoming an Arrancar my Vasto Lorde form was devoid of a functioning mouth due to my hollow mask covering my entire face and I sustained my existence with reishi exclusively," Ulquiorra replied before moving his knight into position. "Checkmate."

"What!? Are you foaling me or something?" Spike asked as he looked over the board. How'd he do that so quickly? Had he been thinking about his move the entire time he'd been giving that explanation? Oh he was _good_...

Twilight's focus had been split inbetween observing each of their plays and keeping track of the time while Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were absent. What was supposed to be a simple talk had easily covered two hours and several rounds of chess and now appeared that a third hour wasn't an impossibility. She didn't know what was going on, and she wasn't sure how much she wanted to know. Already her mind was considering unpleasant possibilities.

Of course being the kind that had a multi-tasking mind made things unpleasant at times. Along with observing the game between Spike and Ulquiorra, and keeping track of how long the Princesses were gone, her mind was also going over what Ulquiorra had told them about the race known as the Shinigami. They were tasked with ferrying souls to the afterlife to prevent them from becoming Hollows that displayed cannibalistic tendencies due to their purely emotional and instinctual nature, you'd think that they'd be able to do that job to an acceptable level. But judging by Ulquiorra's presence, and the fact that he was only _one_ of possibly hundreds of Arrancar-class Hollows it made her wonder. Just how many ponies...people...died in his dimension? Were the Shinigami simply overwhelmed with their duties by the sheer number of these and these thousands and thousands of souls simply the ones that slipped through the cracks? Were...were they actually talking a regular death toll in the _millions?_

"It's your turn, Twilight Sparkle," Ulquiorra spoke up, snapping her out of whatever held her attention as she came back to the present.

"Huh? Oh...alright," Twilight replied as she took her position on the opposite end of the chess board and began telekinetically bringing all the pieces back into their proper order, ensuring all of them were evenly spaced on the squares for the sake of uniformity. "I wonder what's keeping the Princesses. They've been gone a long while."

Right now anything that served as a distraction from the more unpleasant thoughts was quite welcomed. And chess -as well as wondering about what the Princesses were doing to each other- was much better than thinking about Ulquiorra's world right now.

"I'm not sure we really wanna know," Spike said as he looked back at the doorway to the library. That look in Princess Celestia's eyes was much creepier than finding out about Ulquiorra's nature. He could stand the fact that they were talking to what was more or less a legion of souls amassed into one bodily form, but Princess Celestia being angry was more than he could stand. For all he knew they were lucky that the castle was still standing.

The match was as silent as it was methodical. Two skilled opponents going against each other, both looking for an exploitable opening or a way in which to create just such an opening with a move of their own.

However they were only three or four moves into their current round before Ulquiorra looked up. "They're returning," he stated simply and stood up from his spot.

Sure enough both Celestia and Luna had returned, neither of them looking particularly happy at the moment. Celestia looked like she was struggling and barely suppressing a great deal of rage while Luna looked like she was trying to hold back her own sadness. It was quite obvious that they'd been fighting, but about what remained unknown.

"After a great deal of discussion on the matter we've finally arrived at a conclusion on how to handle this situation," Celestia spoke up as she looked over everyone present. "Ulquiorra Cifer. You asked to be assigned a purpose so your presence in our kingdom would have meaning. Considering that you're a foreigner to this land, to say nothing of this dimension, and unfamiliar with all the wonders it holds, as well as being under my rule, I've reached the conclusion that the best course of action available is to assign you the same task I assigned Twilight nearly three years ago. You're to educate yourself on the magic of friendship and all that it holds. You'll learn to make friends, you'll submit reports on your findings. You'll be allowed to travel beyond Canterlot grounds but only under escort. When Luna or I are unable to accompany you you'll be under Twilight Sparkle's control and follow her instructions as if they were my own, if necessary you'll be learning from her as well. Furthermore you'll be placed under a curfew. From sunrise to sunset you'll be free to come and go but you have to return to the castle for nightfall," she explained. She gave everyone some time to think the matter over before speaking again. "Are these rules clear?"

"They are understood and acceptable. Thank you for providing me with a purpose," Ulquiorra replied, evenly as ever.

She then turned to most loyal student. "Do you think you're up for this assignment, Twilight?"

"Princess...do you mean that you want me to teach?" Twilight asked. Celestia had only been halfway through a nod when Twilight bounded over and hugged her around the neck. "Oh thank you Princess! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've always wanted to teach others like you've taught me! I won't let you down, I'll do my absolute best on this assignment!" she stated happily.

Despite how she was currently feeling Twilight's joy and overwhelming enthusiasm were making it hard to maintain any negative feelings about this endeavor. She still wasn't entirely comfortable with the whole idea, Luna knew about that quite well and she would definitely be hearing about it again later on. But Twilight's state gave her reason to at least believe this would work out. She and her friends had done so many other wondrous things in just a few short years, maybe they could do something for this lone Arrancar as well.

"I know you will Twilight, you always do your best," Celestia reassured her. She then turned her attention to Luna. "And as for you little sister. You went behind my back and involved my dear student before I was ready to bring her into the mix. For your offense you're going to be punished and I believe I know what's quite appropriate for you under these circumstances. No sweets for a week."

Luna's reaction was far more fitting for being slapped across the face than being informed that her access to cakes, cookies, doughnuts from Doughnut Joe and other sources were being cut off. But those that knew her well would understand the nature of her reaction. "But sister-"

"I can make it two weeks if necessary," Celestia pointed out, silencing any protest she might've had to make. With a short sigh she turned back to face the three. "It's far too late in the day for anything meaningful to occur so I think tomorrow would work instead. Twilight, Spike, would you mind staying in Canterlot overnight and returning in the morning to escort Ulquiorra to Ponyville so he can begin his assignment?"

"Would we mind? Of course not, Princess, we'd love to stay the night. We haven't gotten to visit in so long it'll be good to spend time back here," Twilight stated. First their meeting with Ulquiorra, then finding out she was going to be teaching him about friendship, and now spending the night in Canterlot? Could this day really get any better?

"Hey if we're going to spend the night could I _please_ get something to eat? I haven't eaten since lunch and I'm starving," Spike added, his stomach growling to emphasize his point.

Celestia chuckled. "That can be arranged. It's almost time for our evening meal, we'd be delighted if you'd join us," she replied. "If you'll excuse me I have to see the chefs for a moment. Luna has a date to keep with a big bowl of mashed alfalfa for everything she's done today."

"Mashed alfalfa?!" Luna shouted indignantly as her sister left the room, "dear sister surely thou must be jesting us!" she said as she walked after her with a quickened pace.

"Are the rulers of this land always so...jovial with each other?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Spike replied.

Twilight didn't know whether to shake her head and sigh or just plain laugh at the antics of the two sisters. For all their regal nature nothing changed the fact that they were still sisters and prone to the same matter of disputes as any other sisters. Finally shrugging her shoulders she turned back to Ulquiorra. "Are you going to join us for dinner?"

"As I've explained before your arrival that won't be necessary. There is sufficient reishi...mana in the area to sustain myself," Ulquiorra replied.

"Well Canterlot _is_ a pretty magical place," Spike stated.

"It's not so much that, Spike, as the fact that Canterlot has long been recognized as a location with a great deal of mana concentration. Doing a side by side comparison between a Canterlot and a location like Fillydelphia you could almost say the mana is denser here than anywhere else," Twilight elaborated before turning to look at Ulquiorra again. "That said it might be best if you try and adjust yourself to actual foods. I don't know if the concentration of mana in places like Ponyville or any other city would be sufficient to meet your needs."

A valid observation. If Canterlot were truly unique in such a manner then perhaps it would be wise to adapt to the surrounding environment if he was to interact with it. He _had_ partaken in meals back in Las Noches when it was necessary. Without a word he moved and stepped out of the library, the two guards following behind him.

"Well that was...unfriendly..." Spike commented.

"Yeah...but it's still early. We've got a lot to teach him so let's cut him some slack," Twilight replied. "Let's join them, I'm getting hungry too."

Hungry and so excited she was almost bursting at the seems over everything that'd happened today. So many new developments and potential studies that could be carried out, and on top of it Princess Celestia herself had assigned her to teach someone new, not just about the concept of friendship that she was so well versed in, but teaching in general! She was going to play the role of an educator and share knowledge and information with someone and potentially shape his mind.

This was going to be so much fun!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five**

This was the second time Ulquiorra found himself being summoned -and subsequently teleported- to the royal gardens for a private discussion with Princess Celestia. It seemed odd as it had barely been a full 24 hours since their last conversation of this nature and in this location.

"So glad you could make it," he heard Celestia's voice from behind him. However he'd sense her reiatsu long before he'd ever heard her.

"I was informed my presence was requested," Ulquiorra replied as he turned to face her directly. It was a joke to believe that he'd come here of his own accord for some useless purpose. He'd been forcefully grabbed and whisked here with no discussion on the matter. "Do you have something you wish to discuss? Or have you conceived another scenario in which to try and verify whether or not I'll attempt to assassinate you?"

Celestia suppressed a wince. His bluntness was highly consistent. She'd earned the remark though with what she'd tried to evaluate previously in the week. But she couldn't let that get to her as she had other matters to discuss.

"Merely talking. I just figured the royal gardens would be best as Twilight isn't likely to come out here looking for you," Celestia explained, figuring that any time away from her most precious student would be enjoyable. The way she'd been acting all through dinner, focusing on Ulquiorra's presence as if she were studying every aspect of him, could certainly be unnerving at times. "I must say it was a bit surprising to see you at the dining table. Was everything to your liking?" she asked.

"In terms of sustenance the provided food was adequate. In terms of taste and texture it was...interesting," Ulquiorra replied simply, his tone suggesting he was disinterested in the conversation that was being had.

Interesting he said. Celestia couldn't help but think that he was giving an understatement considering how much he seemed to sample during the evening. Then again it probably would've been better enjoyed if Twilight hadn't been studying his hands as he made use of the supplied utensils with enough skill to suggest they were similar in his own dimension.

"I trust you didn't have me brought all the way out here away from the presence of your pupil simply to ask about the quality of the food served," Ulquiorra stated.

"Observant as always," Celestia stated. "What I had to speak about is sensitive in nature and not meant for prying ears. When I probed your mind to learn about you I learned far more than I ever wanted to. I saw the various acts you committed in the name of serving this Sosuke Aizen individual and following his orders. And to some degree I can forgive those acts. But what disturbed me was your resurrección. I both saw and felt what it was capable of. And while you claim my presence overwhelms yours you'll have to excuse me if I have trouble believing that as the honest truth. I can understand why you were forbidden from releasing it within the confines of Las Noches."

"What would you propose doing?" Ulquiorra asked simply. Trying to assure Princess Celestia that her kingdom wasn't in any danger would be a waste of effort until she learned it for herself and he refused to waste his breath in the meantime.

"The only thing I really can do is magically seal it off so it can't be accessed at your discretion. There are no serious threats in Equestria that would warrant its access. And it would be far easier than trying to separate you from your zanpakutō as it's technically a part of you," Celestia explained.

Seal off his resurrección through magic? It was preposterous in nature. There was no technique that could achieve such a goal. Not even the Octava Espada would perform such a restriction and he was able to suppress a Shinigami's bankai release in the confines of his library.

Then again he had to remember that he wasn't in Hueco Mundo. What functioned there didn't necessary function the same here. Perhaps Princess Celestia truly knew what she was talking about. In which case it would be in his best interest to agree.

"That is an acceptable options if it's indeed possible," Ulquiorra replied and nodded. Truth be told he was finding himself mildly curious at the proposal to see if it could indeed work.

"This should only take a moment. Sealing spells really aren't all that difficult as long as you know what you're doing. Now hold still please," Celestia said while her horn lit up as the brought it to his forehead. The glow increased dramatically before finally ceasing in a flash. "That should work. Would you mind trying and see if all went according to plan?"

"I decline. Releasing my resurrección at present time would be ill advised. I am willing to simply take your work for it that it actually worked," Ulquiorra replied.

Celestia frowned in response. "I could make it an order if you'd feel better about it. This is important and needs to be done in order to see if the spell worked. If it didn't then I'm not certain I can allow you to leave the castle even under escort. And I'd really rather not go that route," she explained.

Ulquiorra held back what amounted to a frustrated sigh. Princess Celestia was showing that she could be quite stubborn and insistent on cooperation when she wanted to be. Without a word he reached over and withdrew his zanpakutō from its sheath, holding it to the side away from the both of them.

"Enclose, Murciélago," he spoke. The sword's blade gave off a bright glow momentarily, before it dimmed as the appearance of chains wrapped around it and held firm. "If that is the intent of the spell then it appears to have been a success," he replied before sliding the sword back into its sheath.

Celestia was silent as she watched, the spell seeming to hold and restrict Ulquiorra's transformation in the way it was intended; at least the way it was intended after she'd done a little work to the long forgotten thing. What had started out as a miserable failed attempt at suppressing Luna from transforming into Nightmare Moon over a thousand years ago had proven successful in this case. That gave her reason to be thankful as she didn't know if it would truly work or not. If it hadn't...then there would've been a lot of trouble right now.

"Is that all you wished to see me about?" Ulquiorra asked as he returned his hands to his pockets.

"That should be all for tonight. Do you have any questions you'd like to ask before departing?" Celestia asked.

"Will Princess Luna be banished back to the moon for what she did in bringing Twilight Sparkle here without your permission?"

Her mind recalled the earlier discussion with Luna about her inappropriate actions. She was certainly sore with her sister doing something like that, but not sore enough she'd ever give serious consideration to actually banishing her from the kingdom yet again. There had been a lot of words said between them in her quarters and a lot of emotional flares during the discussion. But banishment was definitely not in the cards. Although more mashed alfalfa for a few days certainly would be considering how much she hated it; that would serve as motivation to think before she acted again.

"That won't be necessary. She and I had a long discussion on what she did and I think she understands," Celestia replied. "She's been denied a thousand years of emotional growth. It's to be expected as she still has much to learn," she explained.

In hindsight perhaps the tone set earlier in the day had been a bit over the top. Luna had simply desired to help and took the course of action she'd deemed more likely to achieve her goal. Unfortunately she hadn't thought things through fully when she'd decided to write Twilight herself and bring her up here. She'd been hoping to work at introducing Ulquiorra gradually to Equestria, perhaps at the end of the week, but that plan had gone right out the window when she realized what her sister had done. Oh sure she'd been sore with Luna at the time, but that would hardly be reason to subject her to cruel and unusual punishments.

"Are you ready to head back to the library?" she finally asked, deciding to change the subject.

"I am. However I request a walk back rather than teleportation. Knowing the route will make travel easier in the future," Ulquiorra explained.

"I think that can be arranged. This way."

* * *

She couldn't sleep, it was simply an impossibility she had to face. Maybe it was because she'd grown accustomed to her bed back in Ponyville and lost touch with her old bed in Canterlot. Or maybe it was because Spike was currently snoring as he enjoyed the sleep she couldn't. Or maybe it was just the facts of the day that were flying through her mind like Rainbow Dash flew through clouds and producing too much excitement for her body to reach the sufficient stage of comfort necessary to engage drowsiness. Whatever it was simply laying there in her old room wasn't proving to be a useful way of spending time.

Her mind was filled with far too much information to waste time on something as simple as sleep. Ulquiorra was a goldmine of new and uncharted information that was just begging to be excavated. She could spend days just on the translations of the terms of his world alone and comparing them to theirs. Hollows, the Espada, kido, spells that required lengthy spoken incantations, zanpakutōs and so much more. There was far too much excitement to properly contain.

A loud snore off to the side startled her. Fortunately Spike seemed more intent on sleeping than anything else right now. She remembered how he'd had so many questions about the Shinigami, and specifically about the group known as the "Gotei 13" and what role they served in the balance of everything. Or at least how they were supposed to keep things balanced. Considering Ulquiorra's existence it didn't seem all that balanced. So many thousands of souls making up his being...

Rolling over she knew that she wasn't going to be getting to sleep anytime soon. Silently she got up from her bed and made her way to the one location where she could make sense of things; the library. Anytime something didn't make sense the library was always the place to go. And with Ulquiorra currently residing there and reading endlessly thanks to his lack of a need for sleep -he was _so_ lucky, not needing to let something like sleep get in the way of his studies, that was her opinion- it only made sense that she could find answers to the questions plaguing her mind right now.

"Shouldn't you be asleep at this hour, Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight jumped at hearing her name. Looking around she realized that she'd already crossed the distance from her old room to the library without even realizing it. It was like her body had been on auto-pilot while her mind wandered freely. When she came back to her senses and actually took in her surroundings she found Ulquiorra sitting on the floor, facing away from her and in the middle of a significantly sized tome.

"How'd you know it was me?" she asked.

"My pesquisa doesn't require eye contact to make an observation. Your reiatsu possesses a unique texture just as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. It's quite easy to know where you are when in the vicinity," Ulquiorra explained without even looking up.

"My reiatsu? Oh...you mean my magical signature. It's so amazing how you can do that," Twilight replied as she trotted over and glanced over his shoulder. "So what're you reading?"

"I believed it relevant to familiarize myself with the facts of Ponyville since we'll be going there in the morning," Ulquiorra explained as he flipped to another page.

"That's a really good idea. There's so much to know about Ponyville that you wouldn't expect from a town its size. There's actually a great deal of history to it and its founding," Twilight stated, her voice taking on an excited tone.

Another flare in her reiatsu levels.

"So I'm discovering," Ulquiorra replied, his voice as even as ever.

Twilight frowned in thought. She really shouldn't interrupt Ulquiorra's studies; she really hated when other ponies interrupted her own so she wanted to extend to him the same courtesy. But there were just so many questions she wanted to ask him about everything in her quest for knowledge. And his hands...oh his hands! The way they could turn a page the same way her magic could, the way they could provide support for holding the book at the desired angle for proper reading. His entire body was an intricately designed machine that the casual observer simply couldn't understand and she wanted to familiarize herself with every single aspect of it!

But for now he was busy with his own endeavors and she needed to respect that. With a soft sigh she admitted a temporary defeat in her quest for knowledge and simply sat down on the floor next to him, reading along with him in the chosen book. Or at least she tried to before he turned to the next page before she was even through the first full paragraph.

"What do you want?" he asked simply.

Twilight didn't even hesitate before responding automatically to the question. "Knowledge!"

"Pertaining to what?"

"To everything there is to know about you and where you came from, I want to know every aspect there is!" Twilight stated. "The sociopolitical climate of Hueco Mundo and what upset was caused by the presence of three Shinigami announcing that you were all working for them. Promotion opportunities for Privaron Espada. The molecular difference between your world's reishi and my world's mana. The biological mechanics behind converting raw mana into a source sustenance capable of maintaining life in the absence of food or water. The kido techniques of the Shinigami and how their zanpakutō differ from your own in terms of structure and capabilities. The physical mechanics behind your hands and their amazing dexterity. Muscle structure and center of gravity. Your world's lack of cutie marks. There's literally no end to how much knowledge you contain that could be beneficial to everypony. Your very existence could completely revolutionize our entire understanding of the science behind magic and our utilization of mana!"

In the back of the mind he could once again feel the thought of Twilight Sparkle being the reincarnation of the former Octava Espada. Her quest for knowledge seemed insatiable in nature and she was seeing him as nothing more than research material. Perhaps it was time to allude to such an observation and see where it lead.

"So you intend to disobey the instructions of Princess Celestia and use me as nothing more than a test subject that you'll dispose of once you've discovered all there is to know, caring nothing about what I may learn of this new world under your tutelage," he theorized.

"What?" Twilight asked and snapped back to reality, quickly shaking her head. "No, no, no, no! Nothing like that! I didn't mean to come off suggesting anything like that, I'm sorry," she apologized as her ears drooped.

Another fluctuation in her reiatsu. The intensity was definitely connected to her emotional state.

"Your apology is accepted," he replied and left it at that. He had accomplished what he'd set out to do by showing her the error of her ways and what he thought of her current thought process. That was sufficient for him.

Silence once again washed over the library as Twilight sat silently and simply observed him. However it was only a matter of time before she started reading the book alongside him.

"You have more questions I assume."

"I do. There's a lot of fascinating things about Hollows and the like. Like your mask, when a Hollow removes their mask they become an Arrancar. But what happens when an Arrancar removes the remnants of their mask?"

Ulquiorra thought on the question for a moment. Of everything that'd been asked so far that was one of the more interesting questions. "Once a Hollow transforms to an Arrancar they've attained their maximum status, further removal of their mask is unnecessary. However if an Arrancar's mask is forcefully removed they revert back to their original Hollow status, lose their humanoid shape, their strength and in some cases their intelligence," he explained. "The former Tres Espada, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, suffered breakage of her Hollow mask by then Octava Espada Nnoitra Gilga. The result was their reiryoku pouring from her body and her spirit body shrinking down to the size of a child."

"Wow," Twilight whispered in response to the new information, uncertain of just what to think about it.

Once again silence set in over the library, save for the occasional sound of pages being turned or light breathing.

"Am I correct in assuming your reading this tome alongside me is nothing more than a ruse?" Ulquiorra asked after a long stretch of silence. "Seeing as you live in Ponyville it would seem only logical that you'd already know most of the details that would be contained in here."

Twilight's cheeks turned crimson at how quickly Ulquiorra had caught on. How could he see through such a perfect cover in just a few minutes? And if he was that good what else could he do?

"Uhh..." she stammered in surprise, "maybe a little?"

"The living of this world are strange with their indirect approach," Ulquiorra commented and turned to face her. "If you wish something of me then state it directly, don't waste time with these games."

"I..." she started but paused in thought at what he'd said. He'd caught her off guard several times already without even trying by simply making uncannily accurate observations. Maybe he was right and the indirect approach was a waste of time; a mind as sharp as his could cut through the nonsense like it was nothing.

"Can you run through that list of words and phrases from your world again? I wanna try and understand the dialect better," she finally admitted.

As the personal student of Princess Celestia it seemed Twilight considered herself to be many things and involved in many fields. Scientist, physicist, chemist and now linguist. It was no real surprise that she'd want to familiarize herself with his manner of communicating since he would likely be here for a while, as well as interacting with her to some extent. If nothing else it would give him the opportunity to try and eliminate the annoying manner of the "pony" suffix that seemed to dominate the language.

Perhaps a few profanities from his world would do well to be learned along with other common phrases and words.

"Very well..."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six**

The first thing Twilight became aware of when she awoke was how much her neck hurt. She must've slept crazy last night, or worse wound up kicking her pillow off the bed and just laying flat on the mattress without any support. She always hated when she did something like that.

The second thing she became aware of was just how hard the mattress was. It was all firm and lumpy and felt like there were bones in it. What was she sleeping on? Had Spike climbed into bed with her during the night and she'd wound up sleeping on him again?

"So you're finally awake."

The voice was strange and foreign to her as she tried to shake off the drowsiness she was feeling right now, trying to make her eyes focus in the direction the voice had come and the pale figure it'd come from.

"Ul...quiorra?" she asked, mumbling as she raised a foreleg to try and wipe the sleep from her eyes. "What're you doing here?"

"Several times after you came back to the library you wound up falling asleep in a sitting position, only to wake yourself back up again. Eventually you simply gave up and chose to utilize my leg as a headrest. As I would need you as my escort for today I simply allowed you to rest until you awoke on your own accord," Ulquiorra explained.

The third thing she became aware of when she woke up was his words, and the fact that she'd been laying on the hard library floor and treating his knee like it was a pillow. Immediately she shot up and off of him, the crimson glow of her cheeks shining through her lavender coat with ease.

"Oh Celestia I'm sorry! I had no idea I was doing something so rude!" Twilight apologized, and rather profusely too.

Ulquiorra merely stood up from the spot he'd been sitting on, set his book of choice down on the pile that sat next to him and dusted his jacket off. "You were tired. You weren't in full control of the cognitive process," he explained. "Are you in the habit of sleeping where you fall when studying?"

"...Sometimes..." she admitted hesitantly. Ulquiorra remained silent in response. "What time is it anyway?"

"I'm uncertain," he replied. "Perhaps you should make sure the others haven't awoken and become aware of your unscheduled absence," he suggested.

"Yeah that might be a good idea, I better go do that right now," Twilight replied, seeing it as a great excuse to get out of there really quick. She still couldn't believe she'd used Ulquiorra like a pillow!

* * *

"This is the method of travel?" Ulquiorra asked and cocked the eyebrow underneath his Hollow mask.

The time for departure to Ponyville had finally come, and if Ulquiorra was prone to emotional responses he'd be expressing that he was glad of that fact. The morning had been plagued with numerous and pointless wastes of time that had served no purpose other than being distractions. Countless discussions and reminders about what would be going on during this excursion, all of it redundant to him as he remembered it all quite well.

"Yep! Canterlot's finest method of travel," Twilight Sparkle replied as she proudly eyes the gold colored chariot, two of Celestia's finest pegasi troops hitched up and waiting to take them on their journey.

He had doubts as to just how "fine" the travel would be considering the rough amount of their combined weight and the chariot itself. Were the two pegasi sufficient to carry such an amount?

Celestia had escorted them to where they'd be departing from to give them a proper sendoff. And apparently she could pick up on Ulquiorra's uncertainty about the whole matter. "The chariot has a special low gravity enchantment so it, and by extension the passengers riding atop it, weighs less than it would normally on the ground," she explained.

"Fascinating," Ulquiorra replied evenly.

"You're sure you're ready to leave now? No last minute details that need to be worked out before departure?" Celestia asked the three.

"Everything's fine, Princess, really, we've covered all the bases. We'll be heading to Sweet Apple Acres first, then we'll find the rest of the girls and introduce Ulquiorra to them and get all the questions out of the way, and then we'll escort him into Ponyville proper and let the townsponies get to know him from there. It'll save all the trouble of going around and making introductions one by one," Twilight explained.

"A wise decision. As expected from my most faithful student," Celestia replied and smiled. "If you have everything in order then I bid you farewell for now."

"Forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn. But my assigned curfew specifies that I must return to Canterlot by sundown. If I'm to learn anything of significant importance in the time available perhaps we should dispense with the extended pleasantries and begin travel," Ulquiorra spoke up.

"Of course," Celestia replied after a moment. He did have a good point, they were essentially burning daylight by talking. And if he was going to learn anything about friendship and his new world he'd need all the time he could get. "Take care on your journey."

There were no more words said as the three stepped onto the chariot and departed from Canterlot on their journey, both to Ponyville and to Sweet Apple Acres. For the most part the trip was in silence.

"Hey Ulquiorra what's the matter? Do ya not like flying or something? You look kinda pale," Spike stated.

"Spike! That's not funny," Twilight scolded in response.

"Aw come on Twi' it's kinda funny," Spike replied.

Ulquiorra merely remained silent as the bickering between the two began. He could easily tune them out as he had tuned out far more annoying than the two of them. However he decided for another course of action. "How long will it take to arrive at our destination?"

The plan worked. Almost immediately the bickering between the two stopped.

"It takes about fifteen minutes to arrive at Ponyville by chariot. Although if it's an emergency the time can be cut down to five minutes. But since we're headed for Sweet Apple Acres first it should take only twelve minutes," Twilight explained.

"And this is the same Sweet Apple Acres that made the founding of Ponyville possible?" Ulquiorra asked.

"The one and only. Tastiest apples you'll find in Equestria and the only place outside of the Everfree Forest you'll find the legendary zap apples," Twilight stated happily.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, merely observing the land from his vantage point as he stood still with his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Hey Twilight I've been thinking. Do you think we should figure out what we're going to tell everypony? We can't exactly tell them Ulquiorra's a ghost, Fluttershy might have a heart attack if she hears that," Spike pointed out. "And even if we had the time to give all our friends the full explanation and everything went perfect there's still the matter of everypony else in Ponyville. No matter how our friends respond once we step into town the others are going to notice him and get curious."

"An accurate assessment of the situation. It would be illogical to assume that order can be had evenly with all participants," Ulquiorra replied.

"Don't you two worry about that, I've actually been thinking about it since last night and I've got an idea. Just let me do the talking," Twilight told them.

* * *

The landing with the chariot provided by Celestia was a lot smoother than the one provided by Luna the day before; as to be expected from the like. They touched down in a clearing at Sweet Apple Acres before disembarking, and then unhitched the two pegasi guards that were to serve as the escort so they could stretch their legs as they'd be around for a while.

"Extensive," Ulquiorra noted as he looked around at the vast expanse of apple trees surrounding them from all angles.

"Yep! Sweet Apple Acres is nearly as big as all of Ponyville. Sometimes it's hard to believe that just three ponies handle it all themselves," Twilight stated. Ulquiorra continued to remain silent.

"So where's Applejack?" Spike asked, "you'd think the sight of a royal chariot descending in her orchards would bring her running."

"That's a good question..." Twilight paused as she looked around, scanning the horizon but seeing neither hide nor hair of her friend. "Ulquiorra do you think you can use your pesquisa technique to find her?"

"I can only identify sources of reiatsu, not determine who is whom without first meeting them," Ulquiorra explained. "However there is a sizable source of reiatsu approaching from the north. Current location approximately one quarter mile away."

All eyes turned north, catching glimpse of a quick moving orange dot approaching in contrast to the greens and browns of the surrounding trees and grass, the dot slowly gaining more details and morphing into an easy to identify pony wearing a hat. Based on the cutie mark it was safe for Ulquiorra to assume that this was Applejack.

"Applejack! We were just looking for you!" Twilight called in greeting her friend.

Applejack skidded to a halt and paused to catch her breath before addressing Twilight and Spike. "Nice ta see ya. Ah gotta tell ya Twilight ya took me by surprise showin' up in a royal chariot an' all. Ah thought Princess Celestia was paying me a personal visit er something," she explained inbetween breaths. It was only once she caught her breath and looked up that she noticed the other one and the really, really strange look they had about them. "Who's yer friend?"

"Applejack this is Ulquiorra Cifer, a visiting dignitary all the way from Las Noches," Twilight said as she made the introductions.

"Howdy," Applejack replied in a friendly manner and tipped her hat. "Ah never seen nopony like ya before 'round these parts."

"Well Ulquiorra isn't a really a pony. He's from a bipedal species known as Arrancar. He's up here in Equestria to try and establish diplomatic relations with our land and Princess Celestia has asked me to show him around Ponyville and the surrounding territory so he can meet all the ponies that make up this great land of ours," Twilight explained. "We thought that it'd be best to visit Sweet Apple Acres first since it would allow the girls to get introduced first and then we could go from there."

"Well if that don' beat all," Applejack stated. "Mighty appreciated ya picked our farm ta start out gettin' ta know everypony," she said as she turned her focus back to Ulquiorra. "Ya wanna step inside an' take a load off yer hooves? Give us a chance ta show ya some o' the legendary Apple Family hospitality."

Ulquiorra was silent, allowing Twilight to do the talking and give the explanation she thought was best. He merely observed the situation, listening as the earth pony spoke in a most unusual dialect that seemed easier to understand by instinct than simply from hearing it. The pronunciation of various words was choppy and incomplete, reminding him of the rather informal way Gin Ichimaru preferred to speak.

A cursory exercising of his pesquisa revealed that she was in possession of a significant amount of reiatsu that seemed to easily rival that of Twilight during one of her emotional high points. Perhaps this was the differentiation in magic between the races that Twilight Sparkle spoke of last night. If earth ponies exercised their magic in a passive manner it seemed logical to conclude that they would possess greater reserves than others species as there was no active depletion to take into account.

Now though she was speaking to him directly, meaning it was time to move from a passive role to active and interact.

"I must decline your offer. Your Princess Celestia has requested that I return to Canterlot castle by sundown. My time here is limited. While I'm certain much could be gathered by experiencing the hospitality your family has to offer, the knowledge gained wouldn't be relevant to the surrounding territory and the rest of the inhabitants," Ulquiorra stated as courteously as he could muster.

"Actually, Ulquiorra, it might be a good idea if you took Applejack up on her offer while we go and round up the others. It's gonna take some time to find everypony so you might as well be comfortable," Twilight explained.

"A valid point I suppose. Very well, I accept your invitation," he said as he turned his attention back to Applejack. "Will you be able to provide for our escort as well? Your Princess Celestia insisted on them accompanying us," he explained and brought the earth pony's line of sight to the royal guards that stood several paces behind them.

"Sure ah can do that, no problem. Twilight ya an' Spike go on ahead an' find the other girls an' bring 'em 'round, ah'll keep our guests entertained 'til then," Applejack told her.

"Thanks Applejack I appreciate that. Come on Spike let's go find the girls," Twilight stated.

They watched as Twilight galloped off, Spike riding atop her back toward Ponyville to find the rest of the girls. Hopefully she wouldn't be gone for too long. Looking back at their guests she tried not to cringe. That Ulquiorra fellow was polite enough but he sure didn't look the part, that blank and unfeeling expression on his face and eyes that just about cut through her. She really didn't know what to make of him, but that wouldn't stop her from doing her best to be polite to him.

"So...uh...yer name's kinda hard to remember an' all so ah'm just gonna call ya Mr. Cifer fer the time bein'. Do ya mind some tea while we wait?" Applejack asked.

"Tea will be fine. Lead the way," Ulquiorra replied.

"Straight ta the point huh? A'right this way," Applejack replied and lead the way back to the farmhouse, Ulquiorra following after her at his own pace and the two pegasus guards behind him.

"Twilight Sparkle has spoken favorably of you during out preliminary meeting. Can you elaborate on the nature of your relationship with her?" Ulquiorra asked as they walked along.

Applejack was a little surprised by the question. If she were a betting pony she would've wagered that Ulquiorra wasn't one for small talk; or much of any talk at that rate. But without even a hint of what might've been going on in his mind he opened the door to conversation.

"Well ah'm one o' Twilight's first friends from when she first came ta Ponyville on assignment from Princess Celestia. Ah'm also one o' the Elements o' Harmony jus' like Twilight, 'cept mine's the Element o' Honesty," Applejack explained as she trotted along.

Elements of Harmony? That was one topic he hadn't yet read about during his confinement to the Canterlot library. Now he was being informed that one of the ponies he was in the presence of possessed one of these mysterious elements? This was a matter that warranted curiosity. Beyond that it warranted further investigation.

"Matters pertaining to Equestria do not usually come to the attention of Las Noches. Are you able to elaborate on what the "Elements of Harmony" are?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Ya don' know what the Elements o' Harmony are?" Applejack asked in a surprised manner, nearly falling over herself as she turned her head to face him. He was as stone faced as ever, showing no signs that he was trying to engage in a practical joke. How could somepony not know about the Elements of Harmony? It didn't make sense. And yet he was standing there in all seriousness and saying that he didn't. "Ah'll explain it over tea. This is gonna be one long conversation," she stated and resumed her pace.

* * *

"Hey Twilight?"

The journey between Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville wasn't exactly a long one, but it certainly seemed to be taking a long time right now as they traveled by hoof. Maybe it was just his anxiousness over the situation but he was starting to feel very aware of all the bumps in the road, which translated to bumps for him as he rode atop Twilight's back the entire way.

"Yes Spike?" Twilight asked as she continued trotting along.

"Is there a reason you didn't just teleport to Ponyville? Or at least closer to Ponyville?" Spike asked.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked while continuing her journey.

"Well we both know teleporting's a lot faster than walking or running. And we both know that you've got enough magic to teleport the both of us like it's nothing. So why're we just trotting along like earth ponies?" Spike asked.

Twilight slowed her pace before coming to a stop as Spike's words sank in. He did have a very good point, why were they simply walking when it would take so much longer to get there? Ulquiorra was blunt about having a limited amount of time available before he had to return to Canterlot and spending most of the day with Applejack probably wouldn't provide him with what they needed.

The more she thought about it the more she realized how foalish it was to simply walk. She was engaging in a real world example of what she detested authors doing in their literary works; excessive padding that served no purpose other than to warrant a certain page count. How had she missed it? If she wasn't carrying Spike right now she'd kick herself for doing that.

"Sorry, Spike, I guess I just didn't give it any thought. I'll rectify that right now," she stated as her horn began to glow. In a bright flash of light and the blink of an eye they were gone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seven**

It was interesting to watch as Applejack went about preparing the tea as she possessed neither hands nor magic. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, as well as Twilight Sparkle all compensated for their lack of dexterity through their magic. Spike possessed rudimentary hands that allowed him at least the basic skills of grasping and manipulation of various implements. Applejack on the other hand was able to suffice with her mouth and somehow her hooves.

Perhaps earth ponies possessed some measure of dexterity to their hooves that unicorns and other species of pony didn't. Perhaps that was how she was able to make use of a potholder for handling the teakettle. Or perhaps the displays of magic he witnessed were merely a form of exhibitionism to try and reassure themselves that they were superior to other races and didn't need to bother with such lowly techniques.

"We're outta cinnamon right now so the tea's not gonna be at its best, but it's still pretty good," Applejack explained as she walked over on three legs and set a tray of glasses down on the table.

The two pegasus guards were sitting comfortably and easily at the kitchen table while Ulquiorra stood. The chairs of the Apple family weren't really built for someone of his frame. Not that it mattered one way or another. Right now he was watching with interest as the guards picked up their own cups of tea to drink. Currently his theory regarding hoof dexterity seemed to be in doubt; at least as far as earth ponies having an advantage on all other species of pony. He'd have to study it out later to arrive at a more definite conclusion.

He sipped the tea, noting that its taste was considerably more pleasant than what Aizen served at the meetings. The food in general tasted better than what was available in Las Noches. Not that any of it was important to him, merely an observation of the available facts.

"Is the tea a'right?" Applejack asked, uncomfortable with the stretch of silence that was going on. This was a lot different from the silence Big Macintosh was known for.

"It is," Ulquiorra replied simply. However an afterthought occurred to him as he remembered Princess Luna's suggestion of exercising courtesy when approached by others. He truly didn't see the practical purpose in such trivialities. But it really wasn't his place to be arguing such matters currently. "Thank you."

After the tea the kitchen was back to being silent again. Ulquiorra definitely wasn't big on small talk, she could tell that easy enough. If there was any small talk that was to be had she'd have to start it up herself.

"So wha' do ya think o' Equestria so far?" she asked.

"I'm as of yet unable to formulate a proper opinion. My time here has been limited to the palace of Canterlot, specifically the library," Ulquiorra replied and set the empty glass down on the table. "I believe you said you would explain about the "Elements of Harmony" over tea. What can you tell me about them?"

"Oh. Well the Elements o' Harmony are these ancient artifacts the Princesses used fer fightin' evil a thousan' years ago, but then they got passed ta us girls an' we each represent one o' them. Like ah said mine's the element o' honesty. Then there's the others; Pinkie Pie's element is laughter, Rainbow Dash's is loyalty, Fluttershy's is kindness an' Rarity's is generosity. Then there's Twilight, hers is unique an' only works when the others comes together, her element is magic. Accordin' ta her it's a double meanin' considerin' that friendship is magic in its own right an' ya can't have friendship without harmony," Applejack explained as best she could. She really should've left the explanations to Twilight as she felt she'd managed to butcher it to some degree.

"So Twilight Sparkle's "Element of Harmony" is the weakest and needs the others in order to properly function?" Ulquiorra asked.

Applejack scratched her head in thought. She'd never really given much thought to that idea before, never bothered to analyze it. To her the Elements of Harmony were just sort of...harmonious and worked equally, none being stronger or weaker than the other. Without harmony and friendship things like loyalty, generosity, honesty, laughter and kindness really didn't amount to much. But without each of those things working in unison could you really have friendship in the first place?

"Ah never really thought abou' that before," she finally admitted.

Ulquiorra remained silent in thought, contemplating the available information. From the sound of it these "Elements of Harmony" were a powerful weapon designed to keep the peace in Equestria during times of great danger. While there was ambiguity on just what was considered "evil" it seemed illogical to believe that such a classification was necessary in order to use them. He couldn't rule out the possibility of these artifacts being able to stop Aizen if he were to ever discover this dimension.

On the other hand perhaps it was for the best that he wasn't aware of this dimension. From the sound of it the safety of Equestria was entirely depending upon Applejack, Twilight Sparkle and the four other named ponies continuing to be friends with each other. If such were truly the case then this nation's overall security was shaky at best. He wasn't sure what to think about that, other than the stupidity of such a pretense. What ruler would make the safety of their nation contingent upon something such as "friendship" or some other intangible concept that his eyes couldn't see?

"And how exactly do these "Elements of Harmony" work when dealing with a threat to the safety of Equestria?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Well ah don' really know the magical er mechanical aspects involved. But when we use 'em this massive wave o' positive energy comes forth an'...well ah don' know how ta explain it. When we used 'em against Nightmare Moon she was purified o' evil and turned back inta Princess Luna. But when we used 'em against Discord he got encased in stone," Applejack explained. "Twilight's a lot more knowledgeable about this stuff than ah am."

Another observation. Based on all the information he had access to it seemed safe to conclude that the "Elements of Harmony" didn't provide a lethal solution to known threats; the fact that he was here was proof of that. Or perhaps it was necessary for a threat to truly be "evil" in nature before it could actually be killed. Perhaps Discord and Princess Luna weren't the proper sort of "evil" to be permanently stopped.

"I've had the dubious honor of meeting Discord myself. It would seem the "Elements of Harmony" were insufficient," Ulquiorra replied.

"Well...that matter was sorta outta our hooves. Princess Celestia had the notion tha' we could reform Discord from his chaotic ways an' had us unleash him. Granted we succeeded but it sure wasn' easy ta do," Applejack explained.

"And how precisely did you go about reforming Discord? How does one tame the chaotic nature out of the "spirit of chaos" as he introduced himself?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Well ya see the five o' us really didn' trust Discord an' didn' wanna cut 'im any slack, but Fluttershy went about befriendin' 'im in ways we jus' couldn' an' when he got outta hoof she made 'im realize that if he didn' straighten up an' fly right he'd be losin' the only friend he ever had. After that he just sorta started bein' good on his own. Granted he's still a pain in the flank at times but his chaotic nature's been toned down a good deal," Applejack explained.

To say the least the tale was interesting, provided it was an accurate account of events that transpired, and provided this Applejack wasn't simply making things up. Simply because she claimed to represent the "Element of Honesty" that didn't amount to actual proof of anything that was being said.

"And these "Elements of Harmony" failed to purify Discord in the same manner they did Princess Luna?" Ulquiorra asked. "Are you able to account for this discrepancy?"

"Uh..." Applejack paused, finding herself further and further out of her areas of comfort and expertise. "Ah don' really know the answer ta that one," she admitted.

"Perhaps Discord wasn't evil to begin with," Ulquiorra replied simply.

"Say what?" Applejack asked and tilted her head in confusion.

"During Discord's time free what actions did he take that could truly be considered evil in nature? Whose lives did he put at risk by being disorderly to Princess Celestia's rule?" Ulquiorra asked. When Applejack didn't have any answers to offer up he continued. "Had Nightmare Moon been allowed to implement eternal night the world's ecosystem would be decimated by the lack of sunlight and billions would die from the resulting deforestation and starvation. Can the same be said for what Discord did?"

Applejack didn't have any answers she could offer up to his questions. Try as she might she couldn't come up with a single thing to say.

"Ah don' know," she said and hung her head, turning her gaze down to the floor.

He could press on with his verbal assault but there would be no real purpose to it. Applejack was already without answers to the questions presented, unable to explain why Discord had been labeled as evil and treated as such. For her part she at least seemed to be contemplating her words rather than blindly rambling a predetermined position. She at least seemed more reasonable than...

_His left hand was gripped around the throat of Ichigo Kurosaki, effortlessly keeping him lifted up above the ground. His body was battered and beaten, his reiatsu dropping substantially. And yet he continued grasping his zanpakutō in his right hand. Why?_

_"Why don't you let go of your sword?" Ulquiorra asked. "You can see the difference in our strength. Do you still think you can defeat me? The difference in our strength-"_

_"What about it?" Ichigo managed to ask despite the grip he had on his throat. "Do you think I should give up just because you're stronger than me?"_

_He was genuinely surprised by the human's persistence and stubborn refusal to give up. Even in the face of overwhelming odds he still proved unreasonably stubborn._

_"I've always known...you were strong...Nothing I see now will change my mind..." Ichigo stated. "...I will defeat you...Ulquiorra."_

_"Nonsense," Ulquiorra replied and relinquished his grip, allowing the human to fall to his knees onto the hard ground beneath. "Ichigo Kurosaki, those are the words of someone that does not know true despair. So I will show you. This is what true despair looks like." **_

Ichigo Kurosaki, the stubbornest human/Shinigami he had ever encountered. Stubbornly refusing to admit defeat no matter what. And most infuriatingly the one who had defeated him, resulting in his being here. It was unforgivable.

At least Applejack was more reasonable than him and recognized what she couldn't offer up anything of actual substance to the questions he'd presented her. At the very least she was intelligent enough to recognize the fact that she had nothing to say in response.

"Then perhaps not all the pieces to the puzzle are present," Ulquiorra replied.

"I gotta tell ya, Mr. Cifer, yer one deep thinker," Applejack said as she finally looked up from the floor.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, feeling neither the need to confirm or deny her statement. Instead her chose to pick up the tea pot and pour himself another cup while he waited for Twilight Sparkle to return with the others.

* * *

One of the problems with teleportation over an extended distance was never being fully certain where exactly you'd appear. You could find yourself on top of a rock, stuck in a tree, or even trapped on one of the arms of the local windmill and screaming helplessly for somepony to get you down.

Fortunately for Twilight and Spike none of the above was in the cards as they arrived in Ponyville. The teleportation had gone off without a hitch and deposited them right outside of Sugarcube Corner; perfection in other words.

"Wow Twilight, how'd you manage that?" Spike asked upon seeing the bakery.

"I don't really know Spike, I was just trying to teleport to Ponyville in general, not anyplace inparticular," Twilight replied and shrugged. "Oh well at least we found Pinkie Pie."

"I hope so. If she's out making deliveries we'll never find her," Spike stated.

The door chime sounded as Twilight trotted her way inside the bakery. Apart from a few of the usual faces enjoying the baked goods she could see Pinkie at the counter, and much to their pleasant surprise Fluttershy was also there. Two ponies down on the same visit, that made things a whole lot easier.

"Hey girls," Twilight called as she walked over to the counter.

"Oh. Hi Twilight," Fluttershy greeted back.

"Hi Twilight! Hi Spike!" Pinkie greeted with far more enthusiasm in her voice. "What brings you two around? Looking for some cupcakes? Or maybe some freshly baked doughnuts?"

"As tempting as that sounds I'm afraid not. We were actually looking for you two to see if you could come to Sweet Apple Acres," Twilight replied.

"Yeah we've got someone for ya to meet," Spike added.

"Really? Somepony new to Ponyville? Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly. "This calls for a party!"

"Not yet Pinkie," Twilight stated, heading off Pinkie's excitement before it could get out of hoof. "They're not moving to Ponyville to live, they're here on official business. This comes all the way from Canterlot, from Princess Celestia _and_ Princess Luna," she explained.

"Princess Luna!? Wow that's awesome! Must be something pretty big if Princess Luna's involved too," Pinkie replied, the excitement in her voice giving way to amazement as her demeanor became somewhat more serious. "So who is this VIP?"

"A visiting dignitary from a far off country. He's here on official business and the Princesses have asked me to show him around and help him get to know the ponies that make Equestria great. And who better to give him a good idea of what Equestria's like then let him get to know my friends first?" Twilight replied.

"Wow that's so cool!" Pinkie exclaimed and started to bounce in excitement. "Are you sure this doesn't call for a "Welcome to Equestria Foreign Dignitary" kind of party?"

"There's always time for a party later on, Pinkie, but right now probably isn't the time. He's still learning about what Equestria's like. At least give him a couple of days to get properly acclimated to everything," Twilight explained. "So can you be there for the meet and greet?"

"Oh..I don't know..." Fluttershy replied hesitantly as she rubbed at her foreleg. "What's...what's he like?"

Twilight paused in thought of how exactly to explain Ulquiorra to Fluttershy. She couldn't really tell her the full story, she was already stretching the truth with the "foreign dignitary" cover story. But in a way he was just that so it wasn't a total lie.

"Afraid," Spike spoke up, bringing their attention to him on Twilight's back. "He's in a new land surrounded by new and unfamiliar faces so right now he's kinda detached and analytical like Twilight right now. Sort've a coping mechanism I guess? He doesn't even have the same manner of talking that we do so he's really in need of somepony understanding right now," he explained.

Twilight smiled to herself. That was a good description of the situation, but she'd disagree with the notion of Ulquiorra being afraid of anything. Empty and unresponsive, sure, but certainly not afraid. Really she wasn't sure if he had any emotions to him.

"Really?" Fluttershy asked. "Oh that poor dear. Of course I'll be there for him."

"Me too! Me too!" Pinkie stated and bounced.

"That's good. Now to go get Rarity and Rainbow Dash," Twilight stated. However before she was even out the door she felt something pulling on her tail and keeping her from moving. Looking back she saw it was Pinkie holding firm. "Pinkie what're you doing?"

"Rarity and Rainbow Dash can't come. Rarity's really super swamped and won't let anypony into Carousel Boutique unless they have an appointment, and Dashie's attending a weather meeting in Cloudsdale," Pinkie explained.

* * *

"A-A-ACHOO!"

The lecture hall that was being used for the weather team meeting echoed with the sound of the abrupt sneeze, causing those that were present and trying to stay awake to suddenly jolt back to the land of the living. The pony in charge of the meeting, currently explaining the recent changes in the air currents and how it would be affecting their work, stopped in the middle of his sentence and looked back at the pony who'd interrupted him.

"Coming down with a cold, Miss Dash?" he asked.

"No sir," Rainbow Dash and sniffed. "I'm fine, really."

The stallion pegasus gave a grunt in response before turning his attention back to the charts, picking up right where he left off.

* * *

"They can't?" Twilight asked. That was certainly going to complicate things some. Being gone most of yesterday really screwed with her scheduling if she wasn't even aware of Rainbow Dash's weather meeting. Then again Rainbow Dash probably wouldn't even have told her unless she first came to the library asking for the next _"Daring Do"_ novel.

"Then I guess we really can't have a Pinkie Pie Party if all our friends can't be there," Spike pointed out. He knew how much Pinkie loved to throw parties. But the thought of leaving her friends out would seriously make her think otherwise.

"Well we can at least make him feel properly welcome. Come on Fluttershy let's go!" Pinkie stated before hopping over the counter, grabbing Fluttershy's hoof and speeding out the door.

The entire thing had been...weird. Weird even by Pinkie Pie standards of weirdness and they were most certainly unique. Watching Pinkie drag Fluttershy off fast enough to leave behind a dust trail -which was even weirder as Sugarcube Corner _never_ had significant amounts of dust to be found- left them speechless.

At least until Spike managed to find his voice again.

"Hey Twilight...something just occurred to me..." Spike stated.

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"How's Ulquiorra gonna react to meeting Pinkie?" Spike asked. "Or better yet...how's Pinkie gonna react to meeting Ulquiorra?"

"That's...a very good question. We might just have to wait and see," Twilight replied. If those two polar opposite forces were to connect... "No use worrying about it, there's nothing we can do right now. But maybe we'd better catch up to them so Ulquiorra doesn't get overwhelmed by Pinkie's sudden presence. We might have to act like a buffer."

Spike nodded in agreement. If wouldn't be the first time one of them had to keep a newcomer from being subjected to the full magnitude of the Pinkie Pie experience on their very first day. They all knew she meant well but she was...really intense at times.

"Well then we'd better get going while there's still something left of Sweet Apple Acres to go to."

* * *

The house was way too silent. Nopony was talking. The pegasus guards were silent, Ulquiorra was silent, and Applejack was uncomfortably silent as she didn't know what to say. The tea really hadn't been much of a distraction and Ulquiorra wasn't much of a talker; by comparison the pegasus guards seemed more lively.

She didn't like it one bit and had to do something to change that.

"So...mind if ah ask what tha' thing on yer head is?" she asked, hoping to strike up some measure of conversation.

Explaining what the remnants of a Hollow mask were wouldn't likely be a conversation Applejack would be able to follow, Ulquiorra could tell that. Fortunately there was another explanation that he could give that would make more sense to her.

"An evolutionary leftover from a previous point in the history of an Arrancar. It ultimately serves no purpose but cannot be removed safely," Ulquiorra replied.

"So it's sorta like a bony appendix er somethin'?" Applejack asked.

Ulquiorra remained silent to the question, having no real answer to give to either confirm or deny the comparison. In a way the two were similar in serving no real function after a certain amount of time. The remains of his Hollow mask certainly had no true function now that he was of Vasto Lorde status. It was nothing more than useless ornamentation anymore. However his focus was drawn elsewhere by his pesquisa.

"Twilight Sparkle and Spike are returning with two others," he replied simply and set the empty glass back down on the table before turning around and walking back towards the door, ducking just enough to clear the top.

"Now hold on how jus' a minute, how can ya know that?" Applejack asked as she followed after him before the two pegasus guards could get up from their seats.

"Whoa..."

Applejack was left silent when she stepped out onto the front porch only to see Twilight and Spike coming back into view with Pinkie and Fluttershy following close behind. How had he known when he couldn't see out of the kitchen in this direction? This Ulquiorra was a really strange one, his name hard to pronounce, his tone of voice offsetting, his point of view really out there and now he knew the others were coming without even seeing them? Twilight was definitely gonna have to answer a lot of questions for her before the day was over.

Twilight panted as she came skidding to a halt in front of the porch, Pinkie and Fluttershy able to stop with far more grace and control. All of them were silent, uncertain of what to say or even think.

"Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, meet Ulquiorra Cifer from Hueco Mundo..."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Eight**

The silence was heavy enough one could easily hear an apple fall off its tree and hit the ground. Everypony present was just staring. Fluttershy and Pinkie were looking at the strange being standing on the porch beside Applejack while Ulquiorra looked at the bright pink earth pony with unkempt mane and the butter yellow pegasus with the flowing pink mane with the scared look on her face.

Twilight looked between the two parties, uncertain what exactly had gone wrong. Why was nopony talking or making an effort to strike up a conversation? Fluttershy had seemed motivated to come over when Spike had explained about Ulquiorra in the best way he could. Was his appearance scaring her? And what about Pinkie? Where was her usual joyful nature that could overcome any rocky start and bring out the best in anypony?

"Am I correct in assuming not everything went according to plan?" Ulquiorra finally asked, breaking up the stifling silence in the process.

"Something like that," Twilight replied, not knowing what else to say.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response as he continued to study the two ponies before him. The pink one looked at him in confusion and amazement while the yellow one looked at him in fear.

"No matter," Ulquiorra replied and stepped off the porch with his hands tucked into his pockets. "These two are the bearers of the elements of laughter and kindness?" he asked.

"How'd you know that?" Twilight asked, feeling stunned by the revelation.

"Applejack was quite informative and helpful, explaining how you and the others possess the "Elements of Harmony" and have used them against Princess Luna's alter ego of Nightmare Moon and Discord himself," Ulquiorra replied simply as he stepped closer. "I must admit I was fairly surprised to see that these two are element bearers. Considering how vital these artifacts are to the safety of Equestria I expected them to be in the possession of those who were older and considerably more experienced."

"Now jus' a minute here," Applejack spoke up when she finally found her voice and climbed down off the porch. "Ah don' know how things are where ya come from, but over here we've proved ourselves ta be pretty darn good at savin' the world an' all. We saved it like three times on our own so far. Ain't that right, Twilight?"

Twilight paused in thought and took stock of the number of times that would count as saving the world. The defeat of Nightmare Moon, sealing Discord back in stone, stopping King Sombra...definitely making Discord reform and change his ways. The Changeling invasion didn't count as that was her brother Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Saving Ponyville from the sleeping dragon couldn't be counted either as that was local rather than regional.

"Four actually," Twilight replied.

"Right," Applejack said as she turned her focus back to Ulquiorra. "Four times we been heroes ta the world so don't go doubtin' us jus' 'cause ya ain' been around ta see us in action."

"I was merely making an observation about the importance the Elements of Harmony possess, not about your qualifications to possess them," Ulquiorra replied simply as she looked back at Applejack before turning attention back forward.

They didn't need to be informed of his opinions regarding the overall level of security Equestria had with the six of them holding what might amount to the most powerful weapons in the world or his doubts about their ability to protect the world if they couldn't maintain a cohesive group.

"Hey we're super duper responsible!" Pinkie finally spoke up, and she wasn't happy. "You're certainly a Meanie McMean Pants!"

Twilight could tell this wasn't going to end well. She knew Ulquiorra was honest and straight to the point, and he was often blunt about what he believed, but she hadn't seen him go out of his way to engage in simple cruelty or outright meanness. That was her evaluation of the Arrancar, and unfortunately the way things were quickly progressing she could see that this meeting -and failed blending- of the two cultures wasn't going to end well unless she pulled some kind of damage control. She needed to act fast to prevent everything going straight to Tartarus. No the way things were going this would go well past Tartarus, this would go all the way to his dimension's equivalent of Hell.

"Ulquiorra," Twilight spoke up and interrupted whatever trade was going to be had. "Could I see you for a minute?"

Ulquiorra quirked an eyebrow as he looked at Twilight. The tone in her voice had changed considerably and her facial features had become more hardened. Something about her posture must've been readable to everyone else as Spike knew enough to dismount her without even being told. There was an intensity to her that he hadn't seen from her before, an intensity he had only seen on the Princesses so far.

Wordlessly he followed her lead as she lead him away from the group towards the apple orchards. Finally after some measure of distance she turned and faced him directly.

"Look. I know you're not being mean or cruel, you're just being...well...yourself, to the point on what you observe. But my friends don't exactly understand that because they don't know anything about Hollows or Hueco Mundo. I don't know if they could handle those details," Twilight explained.

"And what would you propose as a solution?" Ulquiorra asked simply.

"Apologize. If for no other reason that appearance's sake. Defuse the situation," Twilight suggested.

"A useless gesture to perform," Ulquiorra replied. He had done nothing wrong and Twilight Sparkle acknowledged the fact that he'd done nothing wrong. So why would she be insisting that he apologize? It was simply illogical in nature.

"Ulquiorra," Twilight replied in a low and serious tone. "Remember how Princess Celestia instructed you to listen to me as you would her? Well I'm instructing you to play nice for the time being. Those ponies are my friends regardless of how nonsensical they can be at times. And sometimes that means swallowing your pride and consenting to something you don't believe in for the sake of the bigger picture. Dominating every single incident might have you right but you'll be alone, and that goes against your assigned purpose here; learning about friendship and making friends," Twilight explained. "This is lesson number one in friendship: tolerance."

He observed her as she spoke. She was determined and assertive whereas previously she had been curious and more malleable in personality. And as her personality hardened so did her reiatsu to the point being in her presence was causing his skin an unpleasant sensation. It appeared that simple logic wouldn't aid him on this matter as she'd already reached a conclusion on her own.

"As you wish, Twilight Sparkle," Ulquiorra replied neutrally before turning around and walking back to where the others remained. Perhaps agreeing to the terms of his release was premature on his part. Finally he stood before the small group again and prepared to carry out his orders. "I apologize if I came off as being cruel in my unfamiliarity with how things are done in Equestria. In Hueco Mundo if items as important as the Elements of Harmony existed they would be carefully safe guarded at all times and deployed only by the most experienced and seasoned individuals to guarantee that they couldn't be stolen and used by the wrong parties."

"Well originally they were secured in Canterlot where only Princess Celestia had access to them," Twilight added, her tone of voice just like it had been before their discussion. "But after two consecutive failures to acquire them during a crisis, Princess Celestia decided it'd be best if we kept them with us since only we can use them. Furthermore they've each been magically bound to us so nopony can steal them even if they tried," she explained.

Perhaps the most logical of decisions that could be made under the given circumstances. With the Elements of Harmony so far away from the only ones who could use them it only made sense if that distance was closed. And at least Princess Celestia had the foresight to safeguard each of the elements to their selected user so they couldn't be misused. Perhaps he'd been premature in making his earlier assessment.

"Maybe we got off on the wrong hoof, let's try this again," Twilight suggested. "Ulquiorra Cifer, these are two of my friends in Ponyville. Pinkie Pie, the most awesome party planning pony you'll meet anywhere. And Fluttershy, best known for her expertise in taming all manner of animal, big or small, herbivore or carnivore."

Pinkie grinned happily at Twilight's statement while Fluttershy made an effort to hide her face behind her mane.

"Girls this is Ulquiorra Cifer of Hueco Mundo, here to establish diplomatic relations with Equestria and getting to know the ponies that make this land great."

Ulquiorra nearly rolled his eyes. He had consented to let Twilight Sparkle handle the initial introductions but he hadn't suspected she would be engaging in such deceit. Diplomatic relations? Really? What sort of diplomatic relations could he truly engage in? And was the unicorn really this prone to dishonesty with those she considered friends?

Perhaps beneath that friendly veneer she harbored feelings of superiority and resentment towards the others and merely tolerated their presence for the sake of Equestria. He couldn't rule it out as being a possibility.

"Cool!" Pinkie stated excitedly. "Welcome to Ponyville Ulqy! If you need anything in the way of parties just lemme know."

Ulqy? He cocked an eyebrow at her selection of name for referring to him. He preferred Applejack's manner of address in comparison. However instead of saying anything he turned his focus to Fluttershy who seemed to shrink under his gaze. "Are you the one who reformed Discord?"

Fluttershy squeaked at being addressed directly and took a hesitant step backwards as if confronted by overwhelming danger. Not that it was an inaccurate comparison to make. Eventually she managed a weak nod and a barely audible "yes" in response to his question.

"You fear me," Ulquiorra stated bluntly. "You consider me a monster due to my differences from you and that's why you're afraid. Correct?"

Fluttershy's eyes went wide at the statement, stopping her in her tracks before she could back up any further. Was she really coming off like that? How terrible.

"No..." she whispered.

_"...I'm finally starting to find you guys a little interesting," Ulquiorra commented. How had it come to this exactly? Standing here in the process of dying, his body turning into ash after being defeated by Ichigo Kurosaki under control of his Hollow self after what should've been a fatal injury. And on top of that he was being denied a proper death by the human because of some misplaced belief in honor before reason._

_The woman stood to his right, looking at him as he slowly faded away. Her eyes...they were filled not with fear or relief but rather sadness...sadness directed at him. Slowly he stretched his arm out to her._

_"...Are you scared of me? Girl."_

_"I'm not scared," she replied, sadly yet defiantly._

_Even after all he'd done to her and her friends she wasn't scared of him, she took no pleasure in his imminent death. He'd tried to kill Ichigo Kurosaki, torn off the Quincy's left arm, threatened to kill all of her friends if she didn't do exactly as he said in instructing her to come to Hueco Mundo. And yet she still took pity on him. He wouldn't be able to understand her even if he tried to, there was no logic to her._

_"I see."_

_The last thing he could see was her reaching out to take his hand, the gesture causing his limb to disintegrate starting at his fingers and quickly racing back up to his torso.**_

"I'm...not afraid of you..." Fluttershy whispered with a bit more courage than her previous statement, although it still wasn't very convincing to those that didn't know her. "You're...you're not a monster..."

If only she knew how wrong she was in her statement. If these ponies had seen him back in Hueco Mundo would they be so quick to assume he wasn't a threat to them? If Princess Celestia had experienced him firsthand in his released state would she still allow him to interact with her subjects as freely as she currently was, their only provided protection being two guards with a significantly lower level of reiryoku than his own?

Most likely not.

"Fluttershy's always that way 'round new ponies," Applejack stated from behind. "Although ah still don't rightly know wha' ya are."

"Then we are in an equal position. I've been informed that you're all ponies but that tells me little about just what you are," Ulquiorra replied without even turning to look at her. "Nothing like any of you has ever been seen nor heard of in Hueco Mundo. It would be only logical to assume the same would be true when the situation is reversed."

"Hueco Mundo? Hey does that mean-" Pinkie began, only to be stopped by Twilight.

"I already tried when I first met him, Pinkie, he doesn't speak that language," she explained.

"Oh," Pinkie replied and gave a small shrug. "Whatever! Put 'er there Ulqy!" she said and stuck out her hoof.

He recognized the gesture from yesterday with Twilight Sparkle, knowing what she was expecting. However he felt less motivated to return the gesture with this one. He'd rather wait and see how long it took her to comprehend that he wasn't inclined to shake hands.

Nearly a full minute before she finally set her hoof back down on the ground and frowned in response.

"So...wha' exactly is an Arrancar anyway?" Applejack asked, figuring it was the best way to head off whatever might be brewing between Pinkie and their new guest.

"What exactly is a pony? What is it precisely that makes a pony a pony rather than a zebra, gryphon, dragon or some other species?" Ulquiorra asked in response and turned to face her. "We're all simply who and what we are and nothing more. Titles and species are nothing more than a way to categorize others into different types and sub-types for the purpose of maintaining artificial boundaries for separation."

_"There he goes with that deep thinkin' again,"_ Applejack thought to herself, unable to figure out what to say in response. What _was_ the difference between an earth pony and a zebra? Or between a pegasus and a gryphon? And how much difference was there? One thing was for certain he really inspired a lot of thinking.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ulqy! Ulqy!" Pinkie called excitedly and bounced on her hind legs until he finally turned around to face her. "Cake?" she asked as she presented a large chocolate frosted cake with "Welcome to Ponyville!" written in white icing on top.

He was left confused at the cake being presented to him. The pink earth pony hadn't shown up with anything that could even remotely contain such an item, nor could she have gone to retrieve it when he was addressing Applejack without him becoming aware of it. Yet here she stood, reared up on her hind legs and using her forelegs to hold up the pan for his consideration.

"I was under the impression earth pony magic is passive in nature and can't be used for teleportation or materialization," Ulquiorra replied, unable to determine the exact location the cake had come from.

"Pinkie is...very random..." Twilight explained as best she could.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, left uncertain as to how to go about interpreting the statement as it provided little in the way of hard facts. Randomness? Randomness didn't answer how the pink earth pony had produced a cake so fast. Even Twilight Sparkle couldn't have produced the cake without him feeling a fluctuation in her reiatsu as he'd felt in the other times she'd exercised her magic.

"Cake?" Pinkie asked again, still maintaining her level of balance without any significant display of tiring from the awkward position she was in.

"It would appear to be, however I'm unable to confirm whether or not it is," Ulquiorra replied simply.

Pinkie blinked in confusion at the statement, before snorting and bursting into a fit of laughter in response, nearly tipping over in the process.

"That's hilarious I've gotta write that one down!" Pinkie laughed. And just as easily as the laughing had begun it stopped and Pinkie was as serious as she had been previously. "So do you want some cake?"

"No."

"No?" Pinkie asked, unable to believe her own ears. Just like that he'd turned down chocolate cake without even the briefest of contemplation? "Not even a little piece?"

"No."

"Wow Ulqy you're a tough one!" Pinkie stated as sat down on her haunches in order to better balance herself. "No smiling, no hoofshake and now you're turning down cake? The next thing you know you'll be trying to tell us you don't have any friends."

"I don't," Ulquiorra replied.

The change in atmosphere at his words could almost be felt. Perhaps he'd said the wrong thing.

He could understand how different dimensions might have different standards of physics; he'd seen such when it came to the use of magic for basic levitation and even teleportation, neither of which existed in Hueco Mundo. Different standards of physics even made sense regarding the ability of the pegasus species of ponies to fly.

However he was certain that different standards of physics didn't explain how the pink earth pony's mouth could open far enough that her lower jawbone could actually make contact with the grassy ground beneath her; nor how she could so easily toss the cake and platter into the air where it came back down on her head and was cushioned by her made and remained perfectly balanced as she literally picked her jaw up and snapped it back into place.

"Oh...my..." Fluttershy stated in surprise.

"WHAT?!" Pinkie shouted in surprise. "No friends? You mean like never? Like never ever?" she asked. "That's terrible! That's super duper sad, like sadder than "not getting any of your birthday cake or presents when it's your own birthday party" sad! Girls this is a super duper Partycon Level 1 emergency! We've gotta get Ulqy some friends pronto!"

Ulquiorra blinked and kept silent, still trying to understand how the cake could remain so perfectly balanced on her head. He could understand the meaning of the words the pink pony was using despite how fast she was talking. But she was speaking utter nonsense. Simple illogical nonsense with no basis in common sense. She was rambling about things beyond her understanding and beyond his ability to care about. She spoke of friends as if they were a physical concept of great importance. Regardless of what Princess Celestia had ordered of him he still didn't grasp the concept. And until it could be proven otherwise it would continue to remain as such.

"I fail to see the emergency of the situation," Ulquiorra replied as evenly and unmoved as ever before. "My stay here is limited to the daylight hours only. I don't have the time to engage in wasteful indulgences."

"Actually Ulquiorra...it's not as wasteful as it might sound," Twilight spoke up, bringing the Arrancar's attention to her, knowing full well that if she didn't provide a necessary distraction then Pinkie could very likely go into meltdown mode.

"How so?" Ulquiorra asked as her looked at her.

"Well it's a long story. Before I came to Ponyville I used to believe the same thing. I was so busy researching the legend of Nightmare Moon and trying to warn Princess Celestia, but she insisted on sending me here to check on preparations for the Summer Sun celebration and telling me to make some friends. And that's how I wound up making friends with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. That's how we obtained the Elements of Harmony, defeated Nightmare Moon and saved Equestria," she explained.

"...And you did all of this through the concept of friendship?" Ulquiorra asked, unconvinced of the notion. Twilight nodded in response, as did the others. They were all sticking to the story, to the notion that friendship had somehow aided them. Perhaps there was a measure of truth depending on what the Elements of Harmony needed in order to function properly. But the very idea still seemed preposterous.

_"Ulquiorra Cifer. You asked to be assigned a purpose so your presence in our kingdom would have meaning. Considering that you're a foreigner to this land, to say nothing of this dimension, and unfamiliar with all the wonders it holds, as well as being under my rule, I've reached the conclusion that the best course of action available is to assign you the same task I assigned Twilight nearly three years ago. You're to educate yourself on the magic of friendship and all that it holds. You'll learn to make friends, you'll submit reports on your findings."_

Preposterous...but it was still his purpose in this new world to learn about it. And as much as he may not see the point he was also under orders to exercise courtesy. He was beginning to wonder if the void really was worth leaving for this. Had he known what he'd be stepping into he might've stayed behind.

"Preposterous," he stated. Orders or not, that didn't mean he had to comply with them immediately. Not when there were still so many questions left unanswered. "Friendship is an intangible concept created by others in an attempt to convince themselves that they're not alone in life. The simple fact of life is that we're all alone in our existence, the only difference being to what extent we willingly admit this fact."

Twilight wanted to facehoof at Ulquiorra's words. He wasn't paying attention to Princess Celestia's instructions. Despite his words yesterday about considering alternative views he still seemed firmly rooted in his nihilism and unwilling to change. Was he really this stubborn? Was it by nature?

"...You're not alone..."

It was a statement barely above a whisper but everyone present still managed to hear it and tell that it was Fluttershy's voice. Currently and wordlessly she was hovering off the ground to place a foreleg on his arm.

"You don't have to be alone here while you're around us," Fluttershy stated.

He regarded her neutrally. Despite being the most scared of the five present she seemed to find enough courage to approach him and make actual physical contact. Twilight Sparkle had offered, as did Pinkie Pie, but Fluttershy was the only one to actually initiate the contact. Even as he looked at her with the same gaze that made her shrink away previously she didn't seem willing to leave. Curious. Where had she found this courage she'd previously been devoid of?

There was the remote possibility that what they were talking about really wasn't a matter of nonsense. He wasn't in Hueco Mundo anymore where loneliness and despair were the lay of the land. He had to at least consider the possibility that what they were talking about was serious in nature.

"I still possess doubts about the validity of what you're saying," Ulquiorra stated. "But I'm at least wiling to consider the possibility of alternative views on the matter..."

Now it was Twilight's turn to have doubts. Ulquiorra had said pretty much the same thing last night but so far hadn't shown any followup since coming to Sweet Apple Acres, he was still stubbornly maintaining the belief that anything he couldn't see didn't exist. But she had to be willing to cut him some slack as this was a lot to take in all at once; _Pinkie_ was a lot to take in all at once. She hadn't exactly adjusted well on her first day either.

Speaking of Pinkie she seemed to have brightened considerably at Ulquiorra's statement; as if he'd just told her he wanted her to throw a huge party. One of these days she had to get the party pony down into her lab and figure out just how she could smile so wide without hurting her face.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Pinkie stated.

Ulquiorra meanwhile was observing the change in his surroundings. And what he was seeing was enough to make him question whether or not his pesquisa was still working properly. He understood that the intensity of Twilight Sparkle's reiatsu was in some way linked to her emotional state. But in the case of Pinkie Pie this seemed even moreso as her amount of reiatsu was increasing dramatically and flooding the area to the point it was overshadowing the others.

The strange aspect was the lack of density being presented. Whereas Twilight Sparkle and even Applejack had a measurable density to their own reiatsu Pinkie Pie's was the opposite, being relatively thin and airy in a way. It was like comparing wood or stone to a pile of feathers...or perhaps the human snack known as cotton candy would be more accurate. There was no overwhelming sense of unpleasantness being exerted against his skin as he stood in its presence. It was all...most curious in nature.

Despite her doubts Twilight was glad to see how things were unfolding. Slowly her friends were warming up to Ulquiorra's presence and no longer put off by his strange appearance or mannerisms. This at least _seemed_ like a good sign, maybe it indicated the rest of the day would go well too. Even Fluttershy of all ponies seemed to be getting comfortable around him; even if he did kinda force the issue and accuse her of seeing him as a monster. But the important part was that the bonding process had begun! Ulquiorra's lessons could now progress, meaning her assignment could be achieved as well.

"So who's up for Ponyville?" Spike asked, desperate to make himself known before anypony else could strike up a long conversation and leave him out in the cold. "He's gotta see it sooner or later. And we might find Rainbow Dash and Rarity there too."

"Ah reckon Spike's got a point. Sweet Apple Acres is fine an' all but there's only so much ya can learn here. Ponyville's where ya wanna be headin' fer interactin' with other ponies," Applejack added.

"Then perhaps it would be best to go now. As I've said my time here is limited to the daylight hours. And I would rather not inform Princess Celestia that I was unable to complete my mission due to constant interruptions and distractions," Ulquiorra stated.

That seemed to strike a cord with the ponies. As far as he could see they at least understood the possibility that they were keeping him from doing what he came here to do, and if he had to deliver a negative report on his discoveries they'd be named as responsible for such developments.

"Well then what're we waitin' fer? Le's get goin'," Applejack stated.

"But what about Ulqy's cake?" Pinkie asked.

"I don't see the point in eating when not hungry for no other purpose than recognizing a kind gesture. Do with it whatever you please," Ulquiorra replied.

Pinkie considered his advice for a moment before throwing her head up, sending the cake airborne before gravity took over and brought the whole thing back down into her now awaiting mouth, allowing her to swallow it in a single gulp, platter and all. Ulquiorra had seen the entire display and blinked in surprise.

"Did she just-"

"Eeyup," Applejack replied.

"Does she know-"

"Probably," Spike replied.

"Will she-"

"Even I don't know for sure," Twilight added.

Confusion. That was the best way to describe what he was experiencing right now. The pink earth pony seemed to be a walking violation of physics regardless of what world he was in. There were certainly some Arrancar who could perform such a feat but this one was definitely no Arrancar. He really didn't know just _what_ she was right now. This would definitely require investigation.

Investigation that would have to wait for later. Perhaps the town of Ponyville would hold some of the answers he currently sought.

* * *

"Twilight?"

The walk back to Ponyville for the second time today was proceeding in relative silence. Ulquiorra hadn't said a word since they left Sweet Apple Acres and neither had Fluttershy, but that fact wasn't surprising to anypony. Pinkie Pie was surprisingly keeping to herself, not talking endlessly abut anything but rather humming to herself, carrying on a tune only she herself knew as she bounced along to keep pace with the others.

So it was reasonably easy for Twilight to hear Applejack's whisper and notice that she wasn't exactly keeping pace with the rest of the group but rather hanging several lengths back, even further back than the pegasus guards escorting them. Taking the hint she slowed her pace until she was walking side by side with Applejack, Spike still silently riding atop her back.

"What's up?" Twilight asked.

"Does that Cifer character strike ya as a might bit weird?" Applejack asked. "Ah ain' talkin' 'bout appearance neither."

"Granted he's not exactly like we're used to seeing, but weird how? Anything specific?" Twilight asked.

"Well ah can understand him not knowin' 'bout friendship since he says he didn' have no friends. But before ya'll came back he already knew ya were on yer way back an' he knew ya were bringing jus' Pinkie and Fluttershy with ya. He didn' even see ya comin', he jus' knew," Applejack explained. "An' the way he don' talk much. Ah'm used ta my brother not talkin' unless he's got somethin' ta say, but the way that Mr. Cifer does it jus' feels unnatural," she continued.

Twilight could somewhat understand where Applejack was coming from. When she first met Ulquiorra yesterday there was a lot about him that she found very strange and...well weird was a good word for it. Of course over that small course of time she'd found out a great deal more information than her friends currently had access to so she and Spike had a better understanding of the full situation. She knew more about Hollows, Arrancars, the Espada, Hueco Mundo and the dialect of Ulquiorra's world than anybody...anypony...whatever... and more or less just took it in stride, adapting to the situation quickly. Even Spike was keeping pace with her and treating Ulquiorra more like an everyday sight that simply held great interest.

Maybe she'd gotten too ahead of herself in this and was too quick to introduce him like she had. Now they were asking questions she wasn't certain she could answer.

"Well he's...a little different from the rest of us. You've gotta remember, AJ, this is his first visit to Equestria. Maybe he's nervous?" Twilight suggested.

Nervous really wasn't a good way to explain the situation. Ulquiorra's lack of emotional interaction and his silent nature unless directly engaged in discussion could be a little off-putting to those that weren't familiar with it. He was like the direct opposite of Pinkie.

"Nervous don' explain how he knew ya were comin' without seein' ya. Tha's jus' freaky. He ain't got a horn like unicorns do so it can't be magic er anythin' lika ya could do," Applejack stated.

YES! Now that was a question she could answer and truthfully.

"Well I don't know if it's magic but it's a technique he calls "pesquisa." It's a lot like an advanced form of a bat's echolocation but instead of using sound waves to detect physical objects to allow him to maneuver about safely it locates a pony's magical frequency within a given area. It's really a fascinating concept and I've never seen anything like it," Twilight explained.

"Yeah and nopony can sneak up on him when he's using it. He can detect you no matter how quiet you're being. Even the Princesses couldn't get close without him knowing it," Spike added.

Up ahead Ulquiorra remained silent as he followed the lead to Ponyville, keeping his hands in his pockets as he walked along and observing his surroundings.

Pinkie Pie was bouncing around them in a large circle and humming to herself in an oblivious manner of her surroundings. How she could move in such an erratic manner without the platter she'd swallowed causing harm to her internal organs was still a matter of confusion; how she'd managed to consume the platter when it was larger than her head was even more confusing.

Fluttershy was walking beside him, her stride and posture suggesting she wasn't overcome with fear like she was previously had been.

Behind them the two pegasus guards followed silently. Behind them were applejack, Twilight Sparkle and Spike, their voices carrying enough for him to make out part of the details of their conversation and how it involved the earth pony's confusion over his being and the other two doing their best to explain him without sharing any of the more sensitive details they insisted on keeping under wraps. So far she seemed to be doing an adequate job at spinning half truths and outright dishonesty.

"Sir?"

His attention turned to Fluttershy who was now looking up at and addressing him. Whatever measure of courage she'd found in herself still seemed present as she didn't turn away when his gaze focused on her, although there was still a noticeable flinch.

Fortunately she wasn't shaken to the point that she lost focus of whatever was on her mind and she was able to carry on without his instruction to do so.

"Um...I was just wondering...what's it like where you came from? Are there any animals there?"

Brave but not very assertive. Her posture might have changed but the tone of her voice seemed to compensate for such.

"Hueco Mundo is a desolate and harsh location where one could walk for miles on end and never find anyone or anything. Those that are trash could never hope to survive in such a place. It's cold, lonely and unforgiving," Ulquiorra explained bluntly. Whatever measure of courage and optimism Fluttershy seemed to possess faltered at his words.

"Wow Ulqy! No wonder you don't have any friends, there were no friends for you to make in the first place!" Pinkie stated as she hopped in front of him. Ulquiorra simply ignored her and continued walking along.

"T-that really isn't very nice, Pinkie..." Fluttershy stated as best she could.

"Regardless it's an accurate statement. One can't hope to survive in Hueco Mundo if they occupy themselves with concepts such as being "nice" and "friendly." Outside of Las Noches the world is very unforgiving," Ulquiorra explained.

"Las Noches?" Pinkie asked as she stopped in mid bounce to look at him.

"What you'd call the capital city, like Equestria's Canterlot," Ulquiorra replied, before continuing to walk on and leave Pinkie where she stood.

"Ooh! What's it like? Are there lots of parties? Are there bakeries with lots of sweets?" Pinkie asked.

"No."

Any further conversation Pinkie tried to start up beyond that point was ignored. There were a great many things about the pink earth pony that Ulquiorra found curious in nature and worth exploring, but her conversation ability was definitely not one of them. Her high pitched voice and hyper nature was annoying and the less said the better.

_"Lesson number one in friendship: tolerance..."_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Nine**

"So this is the town of Ponyville..."

It seemed reasonable to conclude that the book he'd studied last night was several years out of date regarding its facts. The pictures included had shown a much smaller and much simpler town with specific landmarks, a limited market square and fewer homes. Even the most recent pictures included seemed considerably lacking compared to the pseudo-urban sprawl before him just across the bridge.

In some ways this Ponyville reminded him of Karakura Town in terms of size and magnitude, the differences in populace and structure notwithstanding.

Currently he stood just outside the town with his impromptu escort, observing as many ponies of every imaginable color combination scheme went about what he could only assume were their daily routines. It was strange to see them tending to matters without the use of hands for grasping and manipulating various objects.

"Sure is! An' hard ta believe it was all made possible thanks ta zap apples an' ingenuity," Applejack stated.

He suspected the word Applejack meant was "perseverance" rather than ingenuity but said nothing about it. He was more focused on those that made up the residents of the town, wondering how they'd constructed so much when the majority of the population had historically been earth ponies according to what he'd read. Some of the structures looked extremely intricate, involved and otherwise complex. Lacking hands couldn't have made the work easy.

"We can stay out here and stare at the town as long you as you want, Ulquiorra, but learning is better done in the town rather than outside," Twilight spoke up.

"A fair point," Ulquiorra replied. He must've gotten lost in his own thoughts; a dangerous practice to be involved in. There would be plenty of time to answer these questions later on. Without further discussion he began walking again toward the center of the town, the others not far behind him.

"Twilight?" Spike whispered as he continued riding along on her back. "I know I went along with this idea and all, but do you really think this is going to work? What if Ulquiorra _can't_ learn about making friends? Or the Elements of Harmony? What if-"

"Now's not the time to be having such thoughts, Spike," Twilight whispered back as they lingered near the back of their group of friends. "Ponyville's a wonderful place to be. If he can find out anything about friendship it's gonna be here," she explained.

Spike didn't say anything in response as they continued walking Ulquiorra into the heart of Ponyville. Slowly but surely other ponies were starting to take notice of his presence, some stopping what they were doing to stare at him but he seemed to pay them no mind.

"So where should we start the tour first?" Applejack asked.

"Sugarcube Corner!" Pinkie stated.

"That might be better saved until later, Pinkie," Twilight replied. If Ulquiorra hadn't wanted any of the cake Pinkie was offering him at the initial meeting then the bakery probably wouldn't be his location of choice either. "We could try the Golden Oaks Library."

"Twi' ya know the library ain't no place ta be learnin' 'bout friendship. Ya gotta get out and experience first hoof," Applejack stated.

"Ooh! Ooh!" Pinkie was in the middle of saying. She'd had the perfect place in mind and was just about to say it when she was suddenly stopped by her body convulsing and her tail twitching like mad. She knew exactly what that meant. "Twitchy tail!"

Ulquiorra watched as everyone except for the two pegasus guards and Twilight scattered and hid under something close by. This was indeed strange behavior even for a world filled with magical equines. "Twitchy tail?" he asked.

"Pinkie's got something called the Pinkie Sense. She can sometimes predict when things are gonna happen. Twitchy tail means take cover because something's-"

She was interrupted by a loud commotion above her head that made her flinch. Looking up she saw that Ulquiorra was now standing right beside her, his left arm extended as his hand held firmly onto a large parcel. She could figure out that the package was dropped by one of the pegasi tasked with delivering mail to the area, and it would've fallen right on her head while she was explaining the situation. But how had Ulquiorra been at her side before she'd even finished speaking?

"-about to fall out of the sky..." she finished. "That was incredible! I never even saw you move!"

"Do packages usually fall from the sky?" Ulquiorra asked as he brought his arm in. He'd only just started to study the package when the sound of flapping wings could be heard approaching. Looking up he saw a gray pegasus mare with yellow mane and tail flapping her way into ear shot, making it very easy to make out her hat, what looked like a mail bag, and two eyes that couldn't seem to cooperate on a particular direction to focus, her cutie mark seeming to be a cluster of bubbles.

"Gee thanks Mister, nice catch there," the mare stated.

"Ditzy?" Twilight asked. Now it made a lot of sense.

Ditzy? A rather strange name even for a pony. And why exactly was she tasked with delivering such a large package?

"Oh hey Twilight. Sorry about that. Rush delivery to Canterlot, they just now realized it shoulda been sent out three days ago. They forgot to put it on the train so now I've gotta deliver it," she explained as one of her eyes focused on Twilight for the purpose of addressing her. "This a friend of yours?" she asked as she turned to look at Ulquiorra.

"Not exactly. Just someone we're showing around town. Meet Ulquiorra Cifer, Ulquiorra this is Ditzy Doo. She's one of the best mailmares in the area, currently holds a 95 percent delivery success rate."

"Most ponies call me Derpy. I don't know why though," Ditzy replied, acting as if she hadn't even heard Twilight complimenting her skills. "Could I get my package back now?" she asked.

He observed the strange mare. How exactly had she been tasked with mail delivery if her eyes couldn't properly focus? How was her success rate so high? And why wasn't she giving him a strange look like so many others had? Without a word Ulquiorra handed the package back to Ditzy, watching as she tucked it securely in her bag.

"Thanks. I better get goin' now. See ya later Twilight, see ya later Mr. Ulquiorra Cifer."

He watched as Ditzy left, effortlessly carrying the package with her in the direction of Canterlot. He turned his attention back to Twilight to inquire about a number of recent questions. However he was too slow as she was first to speak.

"Thanks for saving me, Ulquiorra, usually when Pinkie's tail twitches I'm the one who gets it," she stated.

He considered pointing out that she wasn't in any actual danger as the package wasn't all that heavy, although his physical strength might affect his judgement on that. Then he considered explaining Princess Celestia's prior orders of not harming any of her subjects -which could be construed as taking form in an active or passive manner- but decided against that as well. Instead he settled for gaining some answers of his own.

However before he could do that the other four came back out to speak with him. And slowly others that had been more wary of him were coming into the area after the spectacle.

"Ah tell ya Mr. Cifer that was some mighty quick actin' on yer part," Applejack stated as she stepped over to him. "Ah didn' know ya could teleport like Twilight could."

"Yeah I didn't even see you move. One second you were standing all the way over there and the next you're all the way over here before Derpy can finish dropping her package on Twilight's head! That's so cool!" Pinkie stated.

A simple flexing of his sonido skill and they believed he'd teleported. And simply following one interpretation of Princess Celestia's orders and they were treating him like he was some sort of hero. These ponies were such simpletons and idiots. His actions certainly hadn't been motivated by some foolish concept such as heroism but rather a personal interest in keeping his guide from being harmed and complicating his mission to learn about this new world.

"I've witnessed what you call teleportation several times. What I performed just now wasn't it. What you witnessed is a technique all Arrancar possess known as sondio, which is simple high speed physical movement that is faster than the eye can follow and the mind can process," Ulquiorra explained as he placed his hand back in his pocket before any of the ponies could asked him about it. "If we're quite through with the interruptions perhaps we can move onto more relevant matters such as the exploration of the town."

Twilight felt a little put off by Ulquiorra's otherwise cold response, but she was willing to shrug it off and let it go. Right now they had more important things to do and there was a whole lot of Ponyville to see. "Right this way then. I think I know right where to start the grand tour; the Ponyville Markletplace," she replied.

Wordlessly he followed behind Twilight as she lead the way, the rest of the group following close behind him and each with their own idea concerning the wisdom of this decision.

"Ah hope Princess Celestia made the right decision havin' Twilight escort Mr. Cifer 'round Ponyville," Applejack commented to the others.

* * *

The current noble jumped at the sound of Princess Celestia's unexpected sneeze, the sound reverberating and seemingly magnified by the throne room's walls. First he'd been subjected to this inane new rule of hers -in front of his fellow nobles as well as the _commoner_ ponies- and now scared in such an undignified manner. It was as if she had absolutely no respect for proper social order. What else could go wrong on this day?

* * *

Under normal circumstances the Ponyville marketplace would be hustling and bustling and a considerable amount of commotion would be going on, to the point it would be hard to focus on something in particular unless you were paying close attention. Buying, selling and trading various goods and commodities meant a lively setting that required a decent amount of vigilance to avoid getting run into or running into someone else.

These were not normal circumstances.

As Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Twilight, Spike, Ulquiorra and the two pegasus guards strolled into the marketplace the normal hustle and bustle dropped in volume to the level of whispers as everyone became aware of the presence of the new and unfamiliar stranger in their midst. nearly everyone stopping what they were doing on the spot, some of them stumbling over each other in a dumbstruck manner.

Ulquiorra paid no mind to the silence and confused looks, they were nothing he wasn't accustomed to. Truthfully it was a sign of some measure of intelligence that the townspeople -perhaps townsponies was more accurate- didn't run up to welcome him as freely as Ditzy Doo had. She hadn't even given him a second look before treating him as an everyday sight; friendly but not overly intelligent.

"They're all staring," Fluttershy whispered as she looked around, feeling herself more unnerved by that fact than Ulquiorra's statement earlier.

"Ah reckon they're confused an' tryin' ta make sense o' what they're seein'. We don' really get many Arrancar 'round these parts," Applejack replied as she noticed the looks they were getting.

_"How fortunate for that to be the case,"_ Ulquiorra thought as they walked along. A loose Hollow in this world, guided by pure instinct, would think nothing of gorging itself on every last soul in this small town, each one of them charged with a surprisingly significant level of reiryoku that exceeded what most humans were capable of producing.

That thought brought his mind back to the pony called Fluttershy who was on his left side currently. Out of all those Twilight Sparkle had introduced as friends her reiatsu and reiryoku appeared to be the lowest; lower than even the dragon Spike. It was entirely possible she was borderline in terms of whatever passed for spiritual awareness in this world and would serve as a reference point for establishing a spectrum of strength.

If he had to speculate he would assume Fluttershy was slightly above the level of the human girl who had been able to resist Yammy's gonzui technique, if for no other reason then the fact that his mere presence wasn't overwhelming her and driving her to her knees.

"Ooh! I know! I know! Let's go visit the joke shop! There's always lots of fun stuff there guaranteed to get a laugh!" Pinkie chimed in as she bounced.

"I see no beneficial purpose in the act of laughing. To me it's nothing more than a useless gesture," Ulquiorra stated simply.

Immediately all whispers in the marketplace stopped when those present heard Ulquiorra's words to Pinkie. Surely he hadn't said _that_ to _her_...right?

"Oh...dear..." Fluttershy whispered.

"...What?" Pinkie asked as she looked at him.

Applejack stepped back and pulled her stetson down over her eyes, not wanting to see just how ugly this was going to get. Ulquiorra was a goner for sure.

Ulquiorra turned and faced her before speaking. "I said that I see no beneficial purpose in the act of laughing and I consider it to be nothing more than a useless gesture. Regardless of whether or not it's your particular Element, I consider it a simple waste of time that could be better utilized otherwise. It is not something I would ever consider engaging in," he explained calmly.

Other ponies began backing away as they watched Pinkie sputtering and stuttering, her body twitching in ways they weren't accustomed to seeing with any of her Pinkie Sense predictions, trying to formulate coherent responses but coming up with nothing but utter gibberish and words nopony was familiar with, everything finally coming to a point as she fell over sideways like someone had just tipped a statue.

"My brain hurts," Pinkie whined pitifully as she lay on the ground, her back leg twitching.

Ulquiorra couldn't understand what had just happened, how Pinkie could so easily be floored with a simple statement about the ineffectiveness of laughter. She was certainly an unusual entity to interact with.

"Ulquiorra, could I see you for a minute?"

He looked up at Twilight's statement, the second time in less than an hour she'd addressed him in such a tone and manner. It was more than likely she wished to educate him on his lack of tact around those she considered her friends. Wordlessly he turned and followed after her as Spike and the others remained behind, obviously concerned with Pinkie's current wellbeing. He walked past the many stand keepers, assorted ponies and at least one zebra in what appeared to be a fedora to underneath a large tree as he followed Twilight's lead until they were well away from any prying ears.

"Am I correct in assuming your intent is to lecture me about my having committed some vague offense I wasn't aware of?" Ulquiorra asked, denying Twilight the option of the first word in the discussion. While she was left momentarily speechless he followed up. "If you intend to insist that I apologize for some transgression I've unknowingly committed then I decline."

Twilight was...well she was more or less dumbstruck by what Ulquiorra had just said to her. He was quick in deducing the reason she'd brought him over here, and just as quick at informing her that it wasn't going to be happening. But then again she knew he was smart after her discussions with him the day before well into the night, and the several rounds of chess they'd engaged in. She knew that this wasn't going to be easy; appealing to his emotional side wasn't going to work, and it was unlikely she could appeal to his logical mind on a matter he didn't fully comprehend. She was going to have to play hardball if she wanted to get anywhere...

"I could order you, you know," she pointed out.

"You could make such an attempt. However I will still decline to comply. If your friend became emotionally distraught over something I said that wasn't to her liking then it's no consequence of mine. I see no reason to apologize," Ulquiorra replied evenly, not even blinking at the notion of being ordered. "Furthermore I don't believe you would make such an attempt as you're aware of the futility of the situation," he continued.

"Say what?" Twilight asked as she blinked. What was he talking about now?

"Based on my observations yesterday it's safe to assume that you value the opinion of Princess Celestia over many others and have taken great pride in your assignment. If you order me to apologize and I decline the most you can do is order me back to Canterlot palace where I will be assigning a failed report of my findings regarding the concept of friendship, the results of which will likely reflect badly on your own performance as an educator. As you don't wish to jeopardize your own standing with your teacher I don't believe you'll attempt such a gamble," Ulquiorra explained calmly.

Twilight flinched at the revelation. His analytical skills were as sharp as any surgeon's scalpel and cut just as deeply, but in a far more painful manner. He was right that she couldn't risk sending him back to Canterlot this early in the day without Princess Celestia possibly thinking bad of her handling this assignment. She really couldn't punish his stubbornness in any effective manner, and failure to do so would simply let him get away with being rude to Pinkie in a manner that hurt her. He basically had her over a barrel and he knew it.

But then again...

"You're right. There's not a whole lot I can do unless I want to admit to Princess Celestia that I failed to be a proper educator," Twilight admitted. However she was quick to follow up with another sentence. "Except for submitting a report of my own detailing how you've been lax in fulfilling your assigned purpose and shirking your duties in learning about friendship. That wouldn't look too good for you either. So it appears we're at a bit of an impasse," she pointed out.

Ulquiorra didn't even blink in response. She was correct in the fact that they were at an stalemate moment, neither one of them able to do much without the situation coming back to bite them.

"Well played, Twilight Sparkle," he admitted, acknowledging that she had discovered something she actually could use effectively other than the threat of authority. Her observational skills were certainly acceptable. "What would you suggest?"

* * *

"He's me..."

Spike, Applejack and Fluttershy had remained behind to tend to the fallen Pinkie while Twilight had a word with Ulquiorra in private much like she had back at Sweet Apple Acres. During that time Pinkie had managed to right herself and sit up again, however her demeanor had changed considerably in that short amount of time. While she certainly wasn't in Pinkamena territory yet she definitely wasn't the happy pouncing pony that everypony knew and loved so much.

"What're ya talkin' 'bout Sugarcube?" Applejack asked as she turned her attention away from the other two party members and over to Pinkie's currently sitting form.

"Ulqy's just like me when I was growing up. No friends, check. No cake, check. Desolate location, check. Always frowning, check. Not knowing about laughing, double check! Ulqy's everything I was back on my parent's rock farm. He's what I could've been if Rainbow Dash hadn't done the Sonic Rainboom and we all got our cutie marks!" Pinkie stated.

The idea was more than a little disturbing and left her feeling uneasy, with herself and her surroundings. How had she not noticed it sooner? What if she'd never discovered the joy of throwing parties and making ponies happy? Would she be just like Ulquiorra was and lack a passion for life and everything else? Would she be cold and unfeeling and have a stare that made those around her wince and turn away from her? Would she have turned out just like the Arrancar?

"They're coming back," Spike stated and pointed, bringing their attention to the sight of Ulquiorra and Twilight walking through the crowd and back to their previous position.

"Ah wonder wha' they talked about," Applejack muttered.

There was silence as Ulquiorra approached slowly and seemingly methodically, coming to a stop in front of Pinkie and looking down at her. There was a great degree of tension in the air before her spoke again, addressing her directly.

"Perhaps during my stay in Equestria you can teach me about the importance of laughter?" he asked her. It wasn't a question made by his own decision but rather one Twilight had insisted upon. If he wasn't going to issue an apology -and he wasn't- then she was determined to correct the situation, the best way she knew how being to have him ask her friend about one of the key aspects to friendship and harmony and learn about them. And right now to Twilight, laughter seemed like a good place to start.

He observed how almost immediately the pink pony's bright and overly cheerful exterior returned in full force, and with it her unusual reiatsu flaring out enough to blanket a sizable area, erasing whatever measure of concern it seemed she was experiencing previously.

"Sure thing Ulqy! Put 'er there!" she said and extended her right foreleg again.

Ulquiorra nearly withdrew his hand from his pocket but stopped when he noticed something that hadn't been there previously; a band wrapped around her hoof. Something wasn't right. "And what pray tell is this you have on your hoof?" he asked.

"This?" Pinkie asked as she turned her hoof over in what should've been an impossible manner to reveal the contraption attached to the metallic band. "This is a joy buzzer."

"And how does it work?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Oh it's really simple. First you strap it on your hoof just like this," she said, referring to what she'd just done. "Then you get somebody to shake hooves with you, just like this," she continued and pressed her other hoof to it to give the demonstration of how a joy buzzer was used. It wasn't until afterwards that she realized what she'd done as her body was exposed by a significant degree of electricity, enough to light up her eyeballs and alternatively illuminate her skeleton, he mane and tail becoming more frizzed out than ever once the charge dissipated.

Ulquiorra watched the entire display without even blinking. She'd intended to use such a device on him? And if that was her intent why had she used it on herself instead?

"I fail to see why such a device would be referred to as a joy buzzer," he replied before turning to address Twilight. "Is this considered an appropriate situation for laughter?"

"Probably not..." Twilight finally replied as she looked at her friend. The black sooted face and coughing of black clouds at least looked funny, and the fact that she'd fallen for her own prank through a simple question was pretty funny. But laughing just didn't seem right in this situation.

Then again it wasn't all that funny when Gilda had fallen for the trick either.

"Wow," Pinkie coughed. She never realized it before but those things hurt!

Applejack and Spike were the only ones present to really find the entire situation amusing enough to chuckle at. Pinkie falling for her own prank wasn't something you saw everyday. The fact that Ulquiorra had caused it with nothing but a simple question just seemed all the funnier.

"It would seem things are not going according to whatever plan you had formulated when we set out," Ulquiorra commented as he turned his attention to Twilight. If she intended for him to be surrounded by new friends who were eager to greet him and make him feel welcomes right about now, then she was quite sorely mistaken.

"Maybe not but I'm not about to give up. Come on, I've got another idea on where we can go and get better results than we are here," Twilight stated. She had a brainstorm brewing and wanted to see it through before anything else came up.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Ten**

Rarity really did love her little sister, Sweetie Belle, she really did. And she would vehemently argue such a point to anypony who dared to suggest otherwise and insinuate anything less. Her little sister was one of the only ponies she'd truly trudge her way through the mud and muck for without giving any concern to what it would do to her coat and mane, or how it would ruin all her effort in stylizing herself to look simply gorgeous.

That said...during times such as these she was quite glad that Sweetie Belle lived with their parents rather than her. Her dear little sister had the annoying habit of getting underhoof when she was trying so hard to help out and be useful around Carousel Boutique. And with her current work order she couldn't afford such exhaustive and infuriating distractions. In some ways she was much like Opal...except Opal was just a simple animal and didn't have the ability to realize that her actions had consequences. Sweetie Belle was far from simple in such terms, she just...didn't think things all the way through.

She let out a sigh as she looked up from her current work, giving her neck a very unladylike but desperately needed crack. The stitches needed on this dress were as intricate as they were fine and required a delicate touch that her sewing machine simply wasn't designed for, meaning she had to do it all through continuous magical focus. It wasn't anything suitable for an amateur, and as much as she hated to admit it even she had trouble with it when going so long.

But at least that intricate little detail was finished.

"Oh Rarity, darling, you've really created a reputation for yourself that even you can hardly live up to," she told herself as she eased the glasses off her face and set them down on the work table.

She needed a break right about now. The intricate stitching was done and to the point where if she stepped away she wouldn't risk losing her place and becoming confused. She could really stand some fresh air and a little time away from the boutique. And right now she was having a craving for one of the Cakes' exquisitely delicious fudge cupcakes. A few minutes on break surely couldn't hurt.

Stepping outside one thing immediately came to her mind; the sun was exceedingly bright. She'd been cooped up inside for so long she hadn't thought to give it any consideration and needed to let her eyes adjust a little before stepping all the way out and enjoying a relaxing breath of fresh air. Already she could feel the tension knot beginning to ease; but for best results a direct application of succulent chocolate was indeed necessary.

It was really amazing what spending so many hours locked up inside could do to one's perspective. Ponyville was always a beautiful place to live but the deprivation just seemed to reinvigorate that beauty all over again. It was the kind of beauty that made one stop and take notice of everything around them...everything that is except for what or who was right in the path and resulted in Rarity falling face first into the dirt in a most ungraceful manner.

"Goodness who put that stupid rock there?" Rarity asked as she picked herself back up out of the dirty.

"I'm not a stupid rock!"

She recognized that voice. Turning and looking at what -or rather who- she tripped over she realized that it was Sweetie Belle!

"Sweetie Belle? Whatever are you doing there darling?" she asked as she magically lifted her younger sister up to give her a dusting off; the best she could do short of having her take a bath and cleaning herself up properly.

"Looking for you. You've gotta come to the park and see what's going on there," Sweetie Belle stated.

"Sweetie you know how busy I am, I'm only taking a few minutes off to clear my head. Can't you just tell me what it is you want me to see?" Rarity asked.

"I could try but as Applejack would say "y'all ain' gonna believe this"," Sweetie Belle said, pulling off a passable impersonation of the earth pony's southern drawl. "There's somebody there that you've gotta see for yourself," she explained.

"Did you just say "somebody"? That's a rather strange term to be using. Is that something new you found in that dictionary you've been reading lately?" Rarity asked, finding her sister's term to be...unusual.

"His term not mine," Sweetie Belle replied. "Trust me Rarity you've gotta see him. Some sort of dignitary visiting Ponyvillle from way far off. You've never seen anyone like him before!"

She wanted to remind Sweetie Belle about how busy her schedule currently was, how she didn't even have the time to talk to her about how her schoolwork went. But she remained silent as her sister's words began to sink in and were digested. A dignitary visiting Ponyville from a far off land? Weren't dignitaries usually ones that held high positions and worked with royalty or others of authority? The more she thought on it the more she arrived at the conclusion that maybe she could take a little break from her work for this.

"Is that so? Well if some...body... has come to Ponyville for a visit then it would be rude not to meet them. Lead the way, Sweetie Belle," Rarity stated.

Sweetie Belle grinned and trotted in place in excitement, both at having her sister follow her for this meeting, and the fact that she hadn't insisted on swinging back by the boutique to put together some elaborate outfit for the occasion; she knew from her own experience that such would take hours and they really didn't have hours available to them.

"Oh but what will I wear?"

Most of the time she was very polite to others around her and didn't do anything to deliberately upset them. But at her sister's words she so dearly wanted to curse out loud at her right now.

* * *

When he'd made his first official visit to Karakura Town to find the target Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki, their arrival had been in the town park.

It was ironic that Twilight Sparkle's idea for his first official visit with the Ponyville townspeople -townsponies he had to remind himself- was currently taking place in the town's park.

"What exactly did you do?" Ulquiorra asked as he watched two dozen or so ponies approaching his location from beyond the treeline. Ponies of all species, color schemes, sizes and apparently age ranges were showing up and slowly taking note of him. Some with surprise and confusion, such as the two lavender pegasi mares, and some with apparent fascination, such as the teal green unicorn that was currently grinning at his sight.

Standing besides him currently was Twilight Sparkle, grinning at everyone showing up, her reiatsu level pulsing brightly as she was pleased with the visible results of whatever she'd done. "I just asked some of the ponies I knew to come and meet someone new that was waiting in the park. Then they asked a few ponies they knew and things just...went from there," she explained. "Don't worry I didn't tell them anything about you. I figured we'd let them find out things for themselves."

At least Twilight had the sense to not go around broadcasting the concocted tale of him being a visiting dignitary looking to establish diplomatic relations with Equestria. Granted she had told it to the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony but that was a simple short term solution meant for them. If she went around telling the same story to everyone then they would feel compelled to interact with him regardless of what they felt. Their actions and manners would be stiff and carefully guided rather than being allowed to flow freely and naturally. She at least had an understanding of that fact and knew that it wouldn't be beneficial to him fulfilling his assignment and learning about the concept of friendship.

"There are undoubtedly going to be many questions to answer before this is over. How many more useless conversations am I going to be involved in?" Ulquiorra asked rhetorically as he saw the ponies getting closer. "Generally I have no dislike for in-depth conversations of relevance. Instead I'm being faced with the same basic questions in a repetitive manner. How much longer must this exercise in redundancy continue before everyone is sufficiently informed?"

"I know it seems kinda senseless but please be patient, it won't last much longer. Just answer a few questions and we'll see how it goes from there," Twilight said as she tried to reassure him. Truth be told she could understand how he was feeling right now, the repetitiveness of it all could be frustrating at times; she'd had to explain things to the ponies of Ponyville more than once so he wasn't exactly alone on the matter.

That thought really didn't sound right even if it technically was an accurate description of the facts. Nevermind she was starting to get off topic even in her own mind. Right now there were other important matters at hand...at hoof...great now she was actively starting to think in his dialect too. This was getting ridiculous.

"Hush now," Applejack instructed as the other ponies were getting close enough to be within earshot. "Howdy there everypony, glad ya'll could make it."

Ulquiorra remained silent and kept his hands tucked into his pockets, mentally preparing himself for what might come. Perhaps he should've just remained in Canterlot.

* * *

"Come on Rarity we're gonna be late," Sweetie Belle whined. Despite her best efforts she found it was impossible to dissuade her sister from going back to the boutique and putting together a fancy outfit for meeting the newest visitor to Ponyville. And she had definitely gone with fancy, a mix of fine fabrics and several pieces of exquisite jewelry, to say nothing of the makeup she'd made use of.

Right now her sister was vocalizing a defense for her actions, explaining how first impressions were very important and had to be done correctly, especially when that someone was important and might have ties to royalty. She really wasn't paying attention, mostly tuning out her excuses in favor of walking toward the park.

"I never did ask you, Sweetie Belle, what exactly is this dignitary like?" Rarity asked as she walked along, her pace casual but the tone of her walk suggesting it was restrained.

"Like I said you'd have to see him to believe him. I saw him before coming to get you and even I don't believe him," Sweetie Belle replied, uncertain how to explain the visitor to her sister. "I really don't even know if it really is a "he" it might be a "she" for all I know."

Now Rarity was confused. Intrigued but utterly confused. For her age Sweetie Belle was quite intelligent and she possessed quite a vocabulary, so the fact that she couldn't properly describe this visitor was a mystery. Instantly her mind began buzzing with possibilities, subconsciously crafting what she believed a foreign dignitary should look like and how handsome he would be: tall, masculine, well cultured and educated, perfectly polished teeth, his mane exquisitely groomed and his hooves shiny from a great deal of care for personal hygiene. It was all absolutely dreamy!

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes as she listened to the contented sounds coming from her sister behind her. She was lost in her daydreams again. Sometimes Rarity could be more annoying than Diamond Tiara, but in an entirely different manner.

Fortunately she didn't have to tune her sister out for very long as they were approaching the park clearing where everyone was currently gathered, and there were quite a few party members present for this meeting. She spotted Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Applejack easily enough. She caught sight of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo too and that wasn't really surprising. More surprising was Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon being present. Then there was Time Turner, and Caramel, Berry Punch and their teacher Miss Cherilee, Mrs. Cake, Mayor Mare and a lot of other ponies she recognized, but didn't really know them by name. And standing in the middle of the small crowd was the guest of honor who appeared to be having a conversation with the musician Lyra Heartstrings; one could only imagine what that was about.

"Oh my," Rarity gasped as she came to a stop.

Sweetie Belle bit back the smirk that she wanted to flash. She knew her sister well enough to know that her daydream had been about the princely type found in books about fairytales, one with a crown and maybe a flowing cape, designed to be the perfect stallion for every little filly to love. Instead she was greeted by someone that was pale, bipedal, lanky and...spooky. She didn't want to be mean but it _was_ kinda funny.

"Oh my," Rarity repeated, "just who or...or what..."

"If I remember correctly his name's Ulquiorra Cifer and he's from somewhere called Hueco Mundo," Sweetie Belle replied, knowing her sister wasn't going to get a full sentence out properly. Seeing her sister stunned she pressed on. "Come on, Rarity, we don't wanna keep that visiting dignitary waiting and look inhospitable do we? He might not give a good report to whatever prince he works for," she said and chuckled, knowing her sister wouldn't want to do something like that.

Rarity shook her head to clear her mind. Sweetie Belle was right in the fact that there was no reason to be rude. Simply because this individual looked far different from anypony else she'd ever seen before didn't mean being impolite was acceptable. She'd come all this way to be hospitable and welcoming, the least she could do was see it through.

"I bet you could play some wicked tunes like no one else," she heard the DJ Vinyl Scratch comment as she stepped closer. Something else was said that she didn't quite catch before the blue maned unicorn took off running.

Rarity didn't let the crowd bother her, not the unusual things that were being said to the fellow that stood before her. She had poise and style, refinement and cultivated manners, she was certain to be smashing and a breath of fresh air compared to the otherwise laid back approach everyone else was indulging in. Finally she stood before him and bowed.

"Ulquiorra Cifer, greetings and welcome to Ponyville. My name is Rarity and it's a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

His experience with the pony race was understandably limited so it was difficult to gauge overall success when there was nothing to work with but short term results that had no long term analytical value. However it seemed reasonable to conclude that this impromptu meeting was progressing in a manner that made Twilight Sparkle pleased with the results.

Introductions were made and he was becoming familiar with the names of the various ponies that had come to greet him, some easier to remember than others. Each of them had a differing level of reiatsu as well as their own unique texture, most of them proving equal or higher to Fluttershy in comparison. He briefly wondered if the yellow pegasus was aware of the fact that some of the present foals had a higher level than she did.

It was a given that there would be many questions asked by those present. Questions regarding his attire, his zanpakutō, his manner of speech, what he was, where he was from, what he was doing here, how he stood on two legs without anything to counterbalance his weight, the remains of his Hollow mask, and a slew of other questions that ranged from legitimate to ludicrous. All were answered simply and honestly...at least as honestly as Twilight Sparkle would allow for, as she didn't yet believe now was the time to be explaining what Hollows were and how they acted.

The unicorn introduced as Lyra Heartstrings had been polite enough, although far more curious than the others and had to be told by Twilight Sparkle to let the others have their own turn. Then came the strange mannered white unicorn with an electric blue mane, ruby tinted sunglasses and a voice that easily left him wondering if there was any relation to Charlotte Chuhlhourne.

"I bet you could play some wicked tunes like no one else," Vinyl Scratch commented as she eyed his hands before they could be tucked back into his pockets.

"I have no concept of what you're talking about," he stated before turning his attention to Twilight for elaboration. "Wicked tunes?"

"Music. Vinyl's special talent is music and she's wondering how good of a musician you'd be since you have hands," Twilight explained.

"I wouldn't know. I've never engaged in anything related to music before," Ulquiorra replied.

"For reals bro? That's a cryin' shame! Hold on I'll be right back!" Vinyl stated and bolted.

There was one fact regarding this meeting that Twilight Sparkle wouldn't care to hear. Most of these ponies were little more than trash. They held no interest for him and he regarded his interaction with them as a waste of time. Answering questions about his hands and how he styled his hair weren't conductive to fulfilling his assigned purpose.

And then came another into his view, far different form the others. Unlike other ponies who didn't seem to bother with the concept of outer coverings this one -a mare based on what he was seeing- was covered extensively, her choice of wear being quite fancy in nature; fancier than anything he had seen either in this world or his own. Her attire went far beyond the role of basic covering or even protection against unfavorable elements of weather, that was most certainly a safe assumption to make.

Unlike the others she too seemed to possess some degree of manners as she bowed her head before speaking to him.

"Ulquiorra Cifer, greetings and welcome to Ponyville. My name is Rarity and it's a pleasure to meet you."

Her pronunciation of his name was off. It sounded as if she'd tried to pronounce it with "cure" instead of the proper structure. Perhaps it was due to her unusual accent. However it was preferable to some of the other interpretations he'd encountered so far. And as noted she possessed manners. She didn't automatically assume that she was going to be his new friend right off the bat and treat him as such. She had some measure of refinement to her; perhaps more refinement than Princess Celestia.

"So you're the one that bears the Element of Generosity," he replied, causing her to quickly look up in surprise and confusion. "Your friends have told me about you. That said I find it interesting how you know my name. I don't think I ever told you my name."

He'd said those same words before, not even six days ago. And in that situation someone had known his name without his formal introduction, primarily due to Yammy being a considerable loudmouth. Looking over and seeing the smaller white unicorn coming back into the crowd after running off earlier it seemed to make sense to some degree.

Rarity was flustered momentarily before continuing. "It's true we haven't had a proper introduction yet. I found out about you only through my little sister Sweetie Belle. And once she told me we had a dignitary visiting Ponyville I simply couldn't stay away, I just had to come down and meet you face to face," she explained.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response at first. Again with him being regarded as a dignitary. How much longer was Twilight Sparkle going to insist on maintaining this charade and purposelessly lying to those she claimed were her friends? Where was the final "Element of Harmony" presently so an end could be put to this nonsense? He was beginning to feel more annoyed by his surroundings than he felt having to deal with the human woman. He almost found himself wishing he was still standing on the dome roof of Las Noches, talking with the woman, the Shinigami, and the Quincy.

"So how're you finding our fair little town?" Rarity asked him.

"At present time I lack sufficient information to form an educated opinion," Ulquiorra explained as he kept his gaze on her. Nothing conclusive could be gathered from just these few interactions and his brief walk through the Ponyville Marketplace. Nothing conclusive could even be gathered on the few ponies he'd encountered.

Rarity flinched under Ulquiorra's piercing stare. Despite his eyes being the most magnificent shade of teal she'd ever seen anypony wear they were considerably uncomfortable to look at for any real length of time. She almost felt like she was an ant under a magnifying glass right now. His eyes didn't hold anything like she'd seen in anypony else before, no signs of joy or life or excitement, just...omnipresent emptiness, like an eternal void or a bottomless hole. It was a very chilling experience that sent shivers up her spine.

"You fear me," Ulquiorra stated bluntly without even blinking.

"What? Good heavens no," Rarity exclaimed, taken by surprise by his statement. How could he assume such a thing? Granted there was a small degree of truth to the statement, his piercing gaze was highly uncomfortable to be subjected to and his monochromatic and unnatural appearance didn't help matters any. But that still didn't mean she would attempt to be inhospitable during his stay here. She'd learned quite well from the Zecora incident that appearances shouldn't be the determining matter when meeting someone new.

Ulquiorra doubted her words and the sincerity behind them. He had seen much fear in his time and what she was displaying was certainly fear. However the revelation seemed to snap her out of whatever thoughts she'd been experiencing and forced her to try and bury her concerns under a poorly crafted mask of civility and refinement. He wasn't entirely certain how this one came to hold the Element of Generosity. Looking over to Twilight for elaboration it was his turn to be caught off guard and left silent at the sight of Spike, his eyes currently locked on Rarity and his face displaying something strange he'd never seen before, not among his fellow Espada or even those that invaded Hueco Mundo.

He turned his attention back to Rarity, studying her with his pesquisa just like he had the others. Reiryoku pools weren't overly impressive, reiatsu about average in comparison to the others, the most interesting aspect being the texture of her reiatsu. Every pony had their own unique texture and no two were exactly alike, although there were similarities between some. With some the texture was smooth like polished river rocks, others were more jagged like chipped shale, or rough like granite. And then there was Rarity, her spiritual texture being unique in that it was smooth in certain areas and pointed in others. She was beginning to prove mildly interesting as he'd never quite seen anything like this before.

Perhaps among all the trash present there was something akin to buried treasure within the ponies.

"Hey bro! Check it out!"

Then again the notion of digging through mountains of trash in the search of treasure held little appeal for him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Eleven**

Rainbow Dash was bored tired right now. The meeting concerning weather patterns for the coming week and what areas they'd have to work in order to compensate for the warmer southern air moving in had been a real snooze fest to sit through, and that speaker they had just droned on and on in a monotonous tone that practically sapped all energy from her pegasi frame. It was as if the stallion's words were crafted in such a way that they were designed to slowly but surely suck the life force out of everypony present and leave behind nothing more than withered husks; that was certainly how she felt right about now.

"Stupid warm southern air," she muttered only to be overtaken by a yawn. An incredibly loud, drawn out yawn that nearly sprained her jaw. Stupid air currents, stupid meeting, stupid boring speaker, stupid spreadsheets and complex charts, stupid everything!

All she wanted to do right now as she arrived back in Ponyville was grab the first stray cloud she saw, drag it over to the park and take a much deserved nap until dinner time, then grab something to eat and promptly go back to bed again. That was all she wanted to do. Was that seriously asking too much?

Considering all the commotion that was going on down below and interrupting her rest she certainly believed it was. She wasn't even halfway to her favorite napping spot when she became aware of the crowd down below. Normally a crowd wouldn't bother her, she always loved receiving the cheers from the masses and seeing their adoration for what she could do.

But this time was different. This crowd wasn't here for her but somepony else. Somepony was down there and hogging all the glory for themselves. She scowled. Her nap could wait as this intrusion meant business. The last thing she wanted was another Mare Do Well-type incident to be rearing its ugly head. Jumping off her cloud perch, she glided down, circling the perimeter before touching down on the soft grass and looking for a way to get through the crowd and get to the center of whatever was going on here.

"Rainbow Dash!"

She turned and looked down at the source of the voice, already knowing it was her number one fan. Somehow Scootaloo being present didn't surprise her any.

"Hey squirt!" she greeted back, "what's going on down here anyway? I'm away for one day to attend a weather conference and just about half the town is gathered in the park like I just did something awesome. I don't get it."

"Well something definitely awesome is going on, take a look up front with Twilight and the others, you aren't gonna believe it otherwise," Scootaloo responded as best she could.

Well this wasn't going to get her anywhere fast. She was wasting good napping time on this investigation. Shrugging she stepped forward to see just what the big deal was about, muttering apologies as she bumped and brushed against the various ponies to get through the crowd and wanting to flap her wings to drive them back and clear a path.

"Whoa..."

That pretty much summed up everything as she saw it. Short, simple, and straight to the point. Just plain old whoa. No other words were sufficient for this situation.

* * *

The conversation with the unicorn Vinyl Scratch had been long and tedious. Her absence hadn't been long enough before she returned with several cases of various instruments in an attempt to find one or more he was good at and could use in something she called a "jam session." He saw absolutely no use in it and hadn't even bothered trying to imitate the manipulations of the strings on a guitar when she was giving a demonstration of how to play it.

"I have no interest in music whatever," had been his response. Apparently to this pony that was a crushing statement and left her spirit deflated and motivated her to leave once again, much to the relief of his ears and his nerves. Some ponies were more trash than others.

"That really wasn't necessary," Twilight commented as she watched Vinyl Scratch leave the area, the musical instruments in tow.

"It was an honest and accurate statement," Ulquiorra responded, no longer paying any attention to the crowd. He would rather be left alone to contemplate his observations instead of answering more questions and entertaining foolishness. However there was a disturbance in his pesquisa that interrupted that. "There's a strange reiatsu approaching fast."

Almost as if on cue another pony made their way forward, a mare pegasus of cyan blue coloring and a hairstyle that seemed unnatural even for here. Polychromatic streaks to her mane and tail, a butchery cut and styling to it that made it look like she'd flown too close to something sharp. Based on hair coloration alone it would appear safe to conclude that this was Rainbow Dash and the final bearer of one of the mysterious Elements of Harmony.

"Whoa..."

Dumbstruck. It was a reaction he'd become accustomed to encountering during his time here. And if she was dumbstruck now then what he was about to do would easily drive the point homeward.

"Am I correct in assuming your name is Rainbow Dash?" he asked, causing her eyes to go wide in surprise. He was fully prepared to launch into a series of pre-formed answers to some of the various questions he'd been asked up to this point to leave her with little in the way that she could ask. However before he could open his mouth Twilight Sparkle was already talking to the latest arrival.

"Glad to see you could make it Rainbow Dash!" Twilight stated. "How'd the weather conference go?" she asked as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Uh..." Rainbow Dash paused and tried to properly structure her thoughts. Right now her mind was completely disorganized and normally that was just fine for her, but these were unusual circumstances and she almost found herself wishing she had a mind like Twilight's. "You know how they are, boring and lame," she finally replied before turning her attention back to Ulquiorra. "What's shakin'?"

An unusual choice of banter for an introductory statement. Somewhat appropriate for such an unusual world filled with unusual beings.

"At present time I possess no knowledge relating to any seismic disturbances that would lead to ground tremors and cause objects to begin shaking unexpectedly," Ulquiorra replied without even blinking.

Rainbow Dash's face was blank at first, and then filled with confusion as she scratched her head with her hoof, before finally turning to look at Twilight as if she had answers to everything. Considering what he'd learned about the lavender unicorn in the last 24 hours it didn't seem out of the realm of possibilities that she really did.

"Twi' what's going on here? Who -and what- is this...thing?" she asked, gesturing with her hoof, "and why's he talking all Eggheadian and whatnot?"

"First off that's not even a real word," Twilight replied flatly with a frown. "Second that's rather rude. Third this is Ulquiorra Cifer and he hails out the way from a far off land called Hueco Mundo, far beyond the boundaries of Equestria proper. He's never heard of Equestria before and he's here to learn about our land and the ponies that live here. And Princess Celestia said Ponyville was the perfect place to start," she explained.

"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash stated and beat her wings to bring her hovering up to eye level with Ulquiorra before addressing him again. "Princess Celestia was right, you couldn't find a more awesome place than Ponyville to start learning about Equestria, we've got everything that's cool right here, including yours truly. The fastest flyer in all of Equestria, master of the Sonic Rainboom, Element of Loyalty and future Wonderbolt, Rainbow Dash at your service. Put 'er there!" she finished and extended her hoof.

Just as Rarity being the one who represented generosity was a mystery, so was how Rainbow Dash represented loyalty. She seemed quite full of herself in her belief that she was somehow the best around.

"All self appointed I assume," he replied and didn't even bother to remove his hand from his pocket. He'd engaged in enough physical greetings for the day as far as he was concerned. Her arrogance certainly didn't help matters any.

Rainbow Dash frowned at being snubbed and insulted right off the bat. "I'll have you know my achievements have been recognized! I'm the Iron Pony! There's not a pony around who could hold a candle to me," she stated and retracted her foreleg to fold them both across her chest in indignation.

"Oh fer the sake o' peat moss, not this "iron pony" nonsense again, it's been two years," Applejack muttered as she pulled her hat down.

Ulquiorra chose to ignore Applejack and instead focus on Rainbow Dash currently. "Simply because you currently hold a title doesn't mean you have either earned it or deserve it."

Rainbow Dash was hovering close to his face and growling now, bearing her teeth in an aggressive manner suggesting she was looking for a fight. Ulquiorra remained unfazed by the sudden display of hostility and merely made observations. Out of all Twilight Sparkle's friends this one appeared to have the most control over her reiatsu. Comparatively speaking her reiryoku was somewhere around Applejack's level, but the pressure being exerted was of considerably greater density, as if she was familiar with her own limited magic and fully knew the extent of it and how to use it properly.

"You show up here brand new to Equestria, you don't know anything about what goes on here and you're passing judgement on us? You're really a jerk you know that!?" she shouted and narrowed her eyes at him.

There was something about this pony that annoyed him greatly. Something that reminded him of...

_Throughout Hueco Mundo the Espada were the most feared and revered of all Hollows. Every Hollow believed that they had what it took to become one regardless of what the facts said to the contrary. Unlike so many others they held the honor of being the current manifestation of the group; an honor they had held for barely a month. The Shinigami known as Sosuke Aizen had apparently seen much potential in them and hand selected them to be his Espada and ranked them accordingly to all the available information, from Primera Espada Coyote Starrk to Diez Espada Yammy Llargo._

_"What's up,_ Ulquiorra_?"_

_However simply because they were ranked according to the will of Aizen-sama didn't mean that all of them were happy with their placing. The current Sexta Espada Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was proof of that. He hadn't taken kindly to his relatively low rank and made no effort to hide his disdain from his fellow Espada; especially those that outranked him._

_"What do you want, Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra asked as he stopped his pace in the hallway, his direction opposite from the path his fellow Espada had been headed._

_"Betchya think you're something special don't ya?" Grimmjow asked rhetorically, a snide grin on his face._

_"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ulquiorra replied and resumed walking._

_A quick exercise in sonido later and Grimmjow was now standing in front of him, blocking his path. "Don't gimme that shit! Little fucker! How did an effeminate thing like you get to hold the rank of cuatro? What the fuck makes you so much better than somebody like me?!" he yelled angrily._

_"Aizen-sama has made his decision on the matter. We've been assigned our parts and our roles according to his wisdom. It's not for us to question his decision," Ulquiorra replied calmly. "The simple fact that you hold the rank of sexta rather than cuatro is more than enough to suggest you are an inferior specimen or you would be ranked higher."_

_He moved to leave but was cut off again, Grimmjow punching the wall with his fist and cracking the stone used in its construction._

_"How's about I shove your head up your ass!? I bet Aizen'd make me Cuatro Espada for sure then, seeing his little bitch bent like a pretzel!"_

_He was growing annoyed with Grimmjow. The only reason he didn't kill him was because he believed his continued existence was necessary to fulfill Aizen-sama's ultimate goal. The Sexta Espada didn't seem interested in simply letting the argument go nor releasing him to go about his business. Without a word he turned around and proceeded to walk back the way he came, deciding to take an alternate route rather than continue this senseless discussion._

_"Don't you dare turn your back on me you little fucker!" Grimmjow yelled and roughly grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Much to his surprise he was greeted by the back of Ulquiorra's left hand on the spin around, hitting him with enough force to daze him._

_"I have no time for this discussion," Ulquiorra replied simply and walked right past Grimmjow as he held his struck cheek._

_It took him a minute to realize just what transpired in the space of a few seconds, replaying the events he'd experienced. Finally the realization hit him like a ton of bricks all at once; he'd just been __**bitch slapped!**_

_"You little fucker!" Grimmjow roared and spun around quickly, drawing Pantera from its sheath and swinging at Ulquiorra's neck._

_There was a loud clang as events unfolded. Ulquiorra had turned and easily intercepted the crudely launched attack, stopping Grimmjow's blade with nothing more than his index finger, easily keeping the blade at bay as if it were nothing._

_"I grow tired of your arrogance, Grimmjow. Aizen-sama has made his decision and declared your place. Nothing you can do will change that fact. Your should know that none of your attacks will ever be able to harm me no matter how hard you try. It's a useless endeavor and you should simply give up while it's still your choice," Ulquiorra explained calmly._

_Grimmjow apparently had other ideas, using his free hand to charge his cero to launch an attack._

_The next second unfolded faster than his mind could properly process, only becoming aware of an aching pain in his head and a lot of darkness. Then he realized what had just happened; Ulquiorra had slammed his head right through the fucking stone wall and left him there!_

_"Damn you, you little fucking girly bitch! When I get free I'm gonna kick the piss outta ya and shove your head right up your ass for this!" Grimmjow yelled as she struggled to pull his head free, only to feel the fractured stones in the wall pressing against his neck with each movement he made and holding him in place._

_Ulquiorra was through with Grimmjow's shenanigans. With the trash currently dealt with he continued walking along, ignoring the howls of protest and the threats involving his liver being cut out and feasted upon. He had nothing to fear._

_"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez..."_ he thought.

How had he not seen it before? This Rainbow Dash seemed to embody a great number of Grimmjow's less than savory qualities of personality. She was loud, boastful, rude, brash, impulsive and certainly more violence-oriented than her friends and comrades.

"I am merely making an observation based on what I know," Ulquiorra replied simply. Rainbow Dash muttered something unintelligible before finally turning and hovering off.

Under normal circumstances Ulquiorra would have simply let Rainbow Dash leave, having no interest in such trash. But this pony was different. This pony reminded him of one of his fellow Espada. She reminded him of the one Espada he had reason to dislike nearly as much as he did with Nnoitra Gilga. Something within him, buried deep, deep within, couldn't simply let her go after what had transpired.

There was a booming echo of static as Ulquiorra appeared in front of Rainbow Dash and blocked her retreat as he stood in the middle of the currently assembled -and now currently disassembling- crowd. "Simply because you presume to be spectacular at something doesn't mean that you truly are," he stated as he stared her in the eyes.

Rainbow Dash came to a sudden halt just short of crashing into him. How had he gotten there so fast? Turning back around she saw that he wasn't next to Twilight anymore but really in front of her. She hated to admit it but that was fast!

"Generally those that brag the loudest about their own sense of greatness are those most insecure with themselves," Ulquiorra continued.

Rainbow Dash blinked. He hadn't seriously just gone there had he?

"And I suppose you think that _you're_ something special?" Rainbow Dash asked him.

"My own personal opinion of myself and my abilities is of no importance. I possess no insecurities that would encourage me to brag about my accomplishments and ambitions and appear arrogant to others. I am simply what I am, nothing more and nothing less," he explained calmly and evenly, his collected nature only seeming to infuriate her all the more.

* * *

"Maybe havin' RD meet that Mr. Cifer fella wasn' such a good idea afterall," Applejack commented from where she stood. Right off the bat the two had been involved in a disagreement with Rainbow Dash's temper flaring and Ulquiorra remaining as calm as ever as they traded statements back and forth.

Twilight felt inclined to agree with Applejack. Rainbow Dash and Ulquiorra were direct opposites not just in style and personality but even basic color schemes. Rainbow Dash was loud, proud, hotheaded and polychromatic, Ulquiorra was quiet, withdrawn, calculating and monochromatic. She couldn't see anything they had in common but she'd hoped they could at least get along somewhat.

However her thoughts were interrupted by the strangest sound she'd heard in a while. It was like a really static-y boom taking place and in the blink of an eye Ulquiorra was no longer standing where he had been for the last hour.

"Good gracious what was that!?" Rarity yelled in surprise, caught off guard at the sudden display.

"That was sonido," Spike spoke up, bringing Rarity attention to him. "Ulquiorra did the same thing back in town when Derpy dropped a package that was gonna hit Twilight. It's like high speed running rather than teleporting," he explained, remembering the conversation that'd taken place earlier.

"Ah don' know how he does it but if ah could learn that trick it'd really help when it comes ta applebuckin'," Applejack commented.

Twilight was inclined to agree. She hadn't really _seen_ sonido performed yet but the mechanics behind it seemed fascinating. High speed physical movement had to have numerous useful applications and she'd love to study it and see if she could learn how to do it herself. It went without saying that Rainbow Dash would love to learn that trick too, seeing as she was all about speed.

Pinkie and Fluttershy were keeping quiet as they watched everything. Just about everypony present was getting uncomfortable and upset as Ulquiorra and Rainbow Dash maintained their back and forth banter with Rainbow Dash's voice seeming to grow in intensity and volume while Ulquiorra's couldn't be heard from this distance. The townsponies that'd shown up were slowly backing away and putting distance between themselves as the volume grew. So far they seemed to be the only two who were aware of this fact, the rest of their friends absorbed in their own little worlds.

"-then I'll show you awesome!" Rainbow Dash yelled, the first part of her statement going undetected before she took to the skies at high speed.

Ulquiorra glanced upward momentarily before calmly making his way back to where he'd been standing previously.

"Wha' jus' happened?" Applejack asked.

"Your friend doesn't seem to respond well to criticism of her personality. She's determined to show me "awesome" and intends to perform something she calls the "Sonic Rainboom" and claims to have mastered," Ulquiorra replied calmly before turning his eyes to the sky again, not noticing as all the other ponies did the same.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy whispered.

"Woohoo!" Pinkie cheered and bounced excitedly.

"Well this is probably something you'll want to see. I'll guarantee you Hueco Mundo doesn't have anything like this," Twilight stated and looked upward. Truth be told the Sonic Rainboom was something she did enjoy seeing whenever it was deployed.

Even at this distance Ulquiorra could still make out Rainbow Dash's position. By now he was seeing the mach cone beginning to form directly ahead of her and indicating high speed travel. But what was of more interest was the intense fluctuation in her reiatsu and reiryoku, the latter being diverted to different areas of her body while the density of the former was increasing greatly.

There was a sudden booming noise in the sky and an explosion of colors. The crowd down below cheered with excitement at the display as the multicolored shock wave traveled outward from its point of origin, a wave of vibrant colors zooming across the sky at high speed.

Ulquiorra remained silent and only blinked. The mechanics of achieving a sonic boom weren't that great of a mystery. However the fact that a living being could do such -and survive- was a matter of interest. Of greater interest was how the polychromatic spectrum had been accessed in such a display and with such uniformity, all six colors being equal. Whatever the mechanics behind this "Sonic Rainboom" were, it would seem Rainbow Dash did have extensive control over them. Deploying her reiryoku to her wings to generate greater speed, increasing the density of her reiatsu to protect her body and keep her flesh from peeling right off her bones, and withstanding the concussive impact of the air at the breaching of the sound barrier...he wouldn't admit to the display being "awesome" but it had certainly been intriguing in nature.

Perhaps even pieces of trash still possessed some measure of probative value.

"So what'd you think of your first Sonic Rainboom?" Twilight asked as she turned her attention back to Ulquiorra.

"An interesting display if nothing else," he replied as he finally turned away from the sky, following the now evaporating color trail as Rainbow Dash was making her way back to the crowd and hovering in front of him, a dopy grin on her face as her wings continued to flap.

"So how awesome was that for ya?" she asked as she caught her breath.

"The fact that your body managed to hold together speaks favorably for your ability to perform such a technique. However I don't see how you would be able to do that again," Ulquiorra commented as he studied her.

"Say what!?" Rainbow Dash yelled in surprise.

"I possess the ability to see the amount of mana all living beings possess and how it is utilized in the performance of certain tasks. So far yours has been the most unique; diverting mana to your wings in order to fly faster and harder, concentrating mana into your skin to provide a protective area in order to avoid being disintegrated by the forces you have to oppose in order to break the sound barrier. I will admit that you're capable of achieving speeds that exceed anything I could perform. However the costs to do such are considerable. Your display has consumed more than half of the mana reserves you possessed when you first arrived. You simply don't have what it takes to do that more than once at any given time," he explained.

It was a logical and reasonable explanation of what he'd observed. He'd been concise and straight to the point but hadn't been rude in his explanation of her limitations. But regardless of that fact his explanation just seemed to anger her further.

"Oh yeah!? You don't know what you're talking about! I could perform Sonic Rainbooms all day long!" she stated.

Ulquiorra remained unfazed by her tirade and continued talking. "There are two types of techniques in this world. Those that can't be performed after a certain point of exhaustion has been reached. And those that can continue to be performed until the user dies from exhaustion. Seeing as you claim to have mastered the "Sonic Rainboom" technique it stands to reason that you're aware of the fact that yours is of the former rather than the latter," Ulquiorra pointed out, his explanation seeming to reach whatever part of the pegasi's mind dictated logic. "Judging by your posture it's reasonable to assume you're already feeling the exhaustive effect of expending more than sixty percent of your reserves. Even you must realize that your technique is limited in application."

Rainbow Dash remained silent, her expression becoming sullen as Ulquiorra laid out the facts of the situation with a calmness that annoyed her to no end. More annoying was the fact that he was right. She'd performed the Sonic Rainboom enough times to know how taxing it was on her own body and how she couldn't do it more than once a day at most. But that didn't mean she _didn't_ resent the fact that he was so freely pointing out her limitations for everypony to hear. This was _so_ gonna bring down her coolness rating.

To Ulquiorra this pony was indeed like Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez in many ways. The density of her reiatsu had been enough to rival the strength of Grimmjow's hierro, surprising in and of itself. But unlike Grimmjow she at least seemed aware of her own limitations and shortcomings. She didn't continue to protest the fact that she couldn't perform her technique in a consecutive manner or fly into a rage-induced tirade when the facts were laid out for her. Rather she seemed to silently accept the fact that she wasn't as great as she made herself out to be. Perhaps there was some hope for her afterall.

"Did it at least _look_ awesome?" she asked as she looked down.

And then again perhaps not.

"I have little concept of what amounts to "awesome" and cannot comment on such. However the mechanics behind the display were most unique. At the very least the "Sonic Rainboom" warrants further study."

Rainbow Dash really didn't understand what he was saying but to her it at least _sounded_ like a compliment. Unique was good, but awesome would be much better. If she was gonna wow this...whatever he was...she was just gonna have to try harder the next time.

She was going to put a shocked and awed expression on his pale stone face if it was the last thing she did!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Twelve**

"...And this is my dad's store, Barnyard Bargains, where you can find just about anything you need," Diamond Tiara stated and gestured to the building in front of them.

Despite the initial rough patch of the park meeting, Ulquiorra's introduction to the rest of Ponyville was underway, being carried out with about as much smoothness as could be reasonably expected. Those that had been present -and not put off by his earlier interaction with Rainbow Dash- seemed comfortable enough around him to give the Espada a proper tour around town, showing off the various businesses and landmarks and other locations they felt were noteworthy. So far on the list had been Sugarcube Corner, Quills & Sofas, the Town Hall, the train station, the schoolhouse, the bowling alley, Carousel Boutique, the Golden Oaks Library, and now Barnyard Bargains.

If nothing else he was at least getting a good lay of the territory so he could find his way around should he ever become separated from the others. Although as devoted as the guards were to following Princess Celestia's orders it was unlikely that would ever happen.

"So Ulquiorra can really see mana huh? Who knew?" Spike asked as he hung back with the others.

While Ulquiorra was being given the grand tour by everypony else in Ponyville, Diamond Tiara currently leading the way, he and the girls had hung back and watched how things unfolded. So far so good...at least as far as trying to impress an emotionally detached ghost went in terms of being good. At least he hadn't tried to kill anypony yet.

"That's certainly a unique skill he has. I'd love to know how he does something like that," Twilight added. There were so many interesting things unfolding as things progressed, leaving her wishing she'd thought to bring along parchment and quill for taking notes.

"Seein' mana might be interestin' an' all but ah'd much rather learn how he goes about runnin' so dang fast ya can't even see it. Can ya imagine what that'd do fer harvestin' an' such?" Applejack asked. And what about the yearly rodeo competitions? If she could learn to move like that... "Shoot ah bet ah could finally keep pace with RD if ah could move like that!"

"Not if I learn it first!" Rainbow Dash stated from where she was seated. The sting of Ulquiorra's lack of amazement with her Sonic Rainboom still hurt. But she was willing to at least try and move on and let it go. Right now she was trying to find the good in the guy as he was being shown their quaint little town, but it wasn't easy when her friends kept going on about how great he was. This was like Mare Do Well all over again.

Rarity was remaining silent for the time being. The initial meeting with Ulquiorra had been disastrous -at least in her mind anyway- and hadn't much improved. The conflict with Rainbow Dash had been an ugly sort, and despite everypony's best attempts to give him a proper tour of Ponyville the outlook really wasn't shaping up. How the girls could be treating the whole thing so casually was quite frankly beyond her.

That wasn't to say that Rarity was dwelling solely on the negative aspect of today's first contact, far from it actually. She was also contemplating the potential positives that could be had from this, like spicing up Ulquiorra's drab and dreary wardrobe with something more appropriate...once she discovered just what that appropriate something was. His off-white skin would certainly complicate that discovery somewhat but she wouldn't let that stop her from trying.

"Hey Twilight?" Pinkie spoke up, bringing everypony's attention to her temporarily. "Now that we've got Ulqy all nice and introduced to everypony and all our friends are here can we see about throwing Ulqy a party now?" she asked, bringing up the subject of discussion from earlier in the day.

Twilight thought on it. Ulquiorra being the guest of honor -and center of attention- for one of Pinkie's epic parties was...a disturbing thought. She could just see him standing stationary and bored, staring off into infinity as everything unfolded around him. She had doubts about him engaging in any of the games even if ordered to, and she really doubted he'd even try the cake after what she'd seen back at Sweet Apple Acres. Knowing Pinkie such a disinterest wouldn't go over very well at the party, especially with her still trying to figure out how to get him to actually laugh.

"I don't know Pinkie..." she began, trying to think of just how to delicately phrase the statement that a party might actually make the situation worse; she knew from personal experience that bluntly stating such was a _very_ bad idea. But Ulquiorra's bluntness could be even worse. What to do? "Ulquiorra's gotta return to Canterlot at sunset as per Princess Celestia's orders. I don't know if we've got enough time today to throw a proper welcoming party..."

It'd been the best she could come up with under such circumstances. There were only a few hours left before the curfew was due to set in and surely Pinkie wouldn't consent to such a limited time frame for one of her extravaganzas...right? Right?

"Ohmygosh Twilight you're right! I never thought of just how _rude_ it'd be to Ulqy if he had to leave just when the party was gonna get started going!" Pinkie stated. "We'll just have to do it the next time he comes back instead! Then we can make it a really super duper party because it'll be a "Welcome to Ponyville" party _and_ a "Sorry we missed the first party" makeup party too! That'll be so cool!"

Twilight bit back a sigh of relief. She'd managed to earn a very small reprieve from Pinkie's normal randomness and insanity, providing her with more time to properly think of a more appropriate stalling tactic. If the pink party pony knew just what they were dealing with there'd be no telling how she'd react.

Then again it was Pinkie Pie she was talking about. She might want to throw a party regardless. She'd thrown a party for _Discord_ to celebrate his first real week of being reformed from the chaotic evil he was. Why should she think she'd be any different with Ulquiorra if she ever learned what Hollows were?

Fluttershy remained silent, having nothing substantial to contribute to the discussion. During her time spent with Ulquiorra she'd come to stop being uncomfortable in his presence, no longer shrinking away when he turned his eyes on her...well maybe just a little bit...but beyond that there was very little she could add. The others seemed to have the matter well in hoof, it wasn't like her input was necessary.

From where she stood it looked like he was taking the tour of Barnyard Bargains quite well.

"Twilight?" Rainbow Dash finally spoke up, bringing the unicorn's attention to her. "How much mana did I really burn through on that Sonic Rainboom? I mean I know it's a lot but he was kinda talking in...what is it...discernible amounts?"

Twilight was a little surprised by Rainbow Dash's use of a relatively complicated -for her anyway- term and paused to think on it a moment. "I'm not really sure, Rainbow Dash, I don't know how Ulquiorra's pesquisa technique works to be able to tell you in exact round numbers. You'd have to ask him yourself," she explained.

"Ehh...I think I'll pass, I really don't feel like talking to him right now after he told everypony about my limitations like that," Rainbow Dash replied. She'd been so careful in keeping that fact a secret and he'd gone and blabbed it like it was nothing, in front of a good portion of the town -which was likely spreading it to the rest of the town by now- and on top of it right in front of Scootaloo too! Her coolness was so gonna suffer for this.

"Yer a rotten liar RD, ya been staring at 'im off an' on since we came inta town fer the tour. Ah figure if ya didn' wanna talk to 'im none ya wouldn' be paying any attention ta 'im," Applejack pointed out rather bluntly, causing her to frown in response.

"There's something about him that's just...weird. I mean weirder than just the obvious, and it's really annoying because it's like it's right on the tip of my tongue but I can't seem to put my hoof on it. It's like something I should know but for the life of me I just can't figure it out. I know I'm missing something but what is it exactly?"

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought, uncertain of what to tell Rainbow Dash or what to think in general. It was definitely an interesting thought to be presented but there wasn't much she could contribute to it. For whatever reason something about Ulquiorra had stroked her the wrong way and it was something she'd have to sort out on her own. She'd love to help but unless Rainbow Dash knew just what was wrong there really wasn't much that could be done about it.

For now it was just a matter of waiting and seeing how things unfolded, for Ulquiorra and his learning about the town, the ponies that lived here and friendship itself. But more importantly for her friends and how well they handled this disruption of normality.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy squeaked, "the music shop looks like it's next on the tour."

Normally this wouldn't be a matter of any concern and not even bear mentioning. But the music shop was where Vinyl Scratch worked when she wasn't doing her DJ gig, and considering the earlier encounter...Twilight facehooved at that thought. This was either going to be very interesting or very ugly, she wasn't sure which.

"He'd better not make Vinyl cry," Pinkie muttered.

* * *

Princess Celestia would never admit it to any of her subjects as she'd never want to actually scare any of her precious little ponies, but she'd been worried the entire day during Ulquiorra's long absence. While he was in the castle she could keep tabs on the Espada and know what he was up to -not that it was much of anything- and exercise the proper amount of concern. But while he was in Ponyville she couldn't do any of that; her spies could only relate so much information to her at any given time. The lack of updates and information had been more troubling than she'd anticipated, the slowly building stress making the day seem to stretch on far longer than it truly did.

And that stress and worry made the day court far more intolerable than it was normally, mitigated only by the uncomfortable state the insufferable nobles were placed in for making their requests, demands and other observations about how to better their own privileged lives. She managed a weak smile at that thought.

That said she felt relieved -as well as a little surprised- to see Ulquiorra actually making his return to Canterlot a good half hour before the sun was scheduled to truly set. With his inquisitive mind she'd anticipated him being gone longer than this. There were a lot of things currently running through her mind as she watched the chariot approaching, things that might explain his early arrival, things that weren't exactly pleasant in nature, and the more she gave thought to them the more she realized she was driving herself nuts. Until he actually arrived it was nothing more than mere speculation and giving into fear.

Those several minutes until the chariot finally touched down proved to be some of the longest of the entire day. The squeak of the wheels as they finally arrived at the landing pad was almost calming to her, assuring her that this strange new being was back in a safe area where she didn't have to worry about him posing a threat.

"I must say you're quite punctual," Celestia commented as she approached while Ulquiorra stepped down off the chariot. "What did you think of Ponyville?" she asked.

"Your subjects remain unharmed," Ulquiorra commented. "As Equestria is ruled by a diarchy rather than a monarchy it would seem appropriate to submit any and all reports to both yourself and Princess Luna simultaneously."

He did raise a good point. As she co-ruled with her sister it was only fair that she be informed of his observations about Ponyville. And her little sister had more or less put everything into motion by going behind her back and involving Twilight in this matter far ahead of schedule, something she wouldn't soon be forgetting.

"If you'd like. Follow me," she said, leading Ulquiorra in the direction of the throne room after dismissing the two guards for the evening. The fact that they were so calm and collected gave her some measure of reassurance that things had gone well today, but she still wanted to verify that fact for herself before entirely dropping her guard.

The walk back to the throne room was one of silence other than the muffled footfalls -or in Celestia's case hooffalls- against the marble flooring. Try as she might Celestia just couldn't quite come up with a way of asking the question that was burning most in her; how exactly did one tactfully ask a guest if they'd felt compelled to consume any souls while they were out.

"We say no more! We cannot stomach another mouthful of this vile concoction!" came Luna's statement as they entered the throne room. From their position they could both see the lunar princess standing atop the highest point of the throne with her wings flared outward, more or less being spoon fed by one of the unicorn guards utilizing his magic to hold a spoon and a bowl.

"Orders from your sister, your majesty. If you won't eat your mashed alfalfa on your own accord then we're to feed you like a foal," the guard replied as another spoonful was scooped up and hovered in front of her face.

"You shalt be banished to the moon for this!" Luna protested through grit teeth. The guard said nothing in response, unfazed by the empty threats as he knew full well Princess Celestia would never allow any such thing to occur.

"This situation is most unusual," Ulquiorra commented as he stood by Celestia's side and silently observed the back and forth struggle. "I fail to see how this amounts to punishment for her actions."

"If you knew Luna you'd understand," she said before clearing her throat loudly enough for the guard to become aware of her position, stopping his task to salute her. "That will be all, thank you for your services," she said in a kind manner, dismissing the guard from his extra services. The mashed alfalfa could wait until later. "Come down from there dear sister, it's not yet your turn to begin ruling. Anyway Ulquiorra has returned from his visit to Ponyville and he has a report he wishes to submit to the both of us," she explained as she stepped further into the throne room.

Luna nodded and climbed down from her perch atop the throne, tucking her wings in as her hooves connected with the floor before taking her place next to her sister to hear the report. She herself was feeling quite anxious to be informed of what news there was to be had; she'd gotten herself in enough trouble to make it possible, she might as well see the end results.

"So tell us, Ulquiorra, what have you learned about friendship during your time in Ponyville?" Celestia asked.

"I have learned, as explained by Twilight Sparkle, that the first lesson to friendship is tolerance."

Silence. A long, long stretch of silence. Celestia and Luna had both expected Ulquiorra to have something to contribute other than just that simple sentence. Apparently they were wrong.

"That's it?" Luna finally asked in disbelief.

"Indeed," Ulquiorra replied simply.

Celestia tried not to sigh. While it was certainly an important lesson to learn surely that hadn't been all there was to the day. Surely he must've discovered something else, anything. "And what of the ponies you met today? Did you learn anything about them?" she asked, hoping there was something that could be salvaged about this expedition.

"I have," Ulquiorra replied and raised his left hand.

Having already seen the Solita Vista technique once before Luna knew exactly what was coming and averted her gaze, leaving Celestia to be disturbed as Ulquiorra plucked out his left eye as if it were nothing and crush it before them, creating a cloud of fine jewel-like particles encompassing the area. Immediately an image of Twilight was displayed in the cloud.

"Twilight Sparkle. Highly intelligent and observant, possesses a great thirst for knowledge, predisposed to assisting others. Her reiatsu displays intense and constant fluctuations in density and level especially during periods of emotional instability. She does not respond well to criticism and displays hostility when faced with a development she does not find favorable. The possibility of her possessing a murderous blood lust cannot yet be ruled out."

Celestia let out a soft gasp at Ulquiorra's opinion of her precious student but wasn't provided the opportunity to say anything as he continued talking, the cloud changing to display Spike.

"Spike. Reasonably intelligent and knowledgeable about various topics, appears to have a tactical mindset but he often fails to properly utilize it. He appears loyal to Twilight Sparkle but has a restrained rebellious nature and loyalty can't be properly gauged at this time."

The display changed from Spike to Applejack, the earth pony tilting her hat.

"Applejack. Hospitable, honest and informative. While reasonably intelligent she doesn't appear to actively consider various options and possibilities until they're pointed out to her."

Applejack faded from view and was replaced by her brother.

"Big Macintosh, Applejack's older brother. Quiet unless speech is necessary in a given situation and refrains from engaging in pointless conversation for no other point than having a conversation. Acceptably polite and courteous."

Big Macintosh gave way to the aged image of Granny Smith.

"Granny Smith, grandmother to Applejack and Big Macintosh. Her mental facilities would appear to be in a constant state of flux. During my interaction with her she continually referred to me as "sugarcube", "youngin'" and "whatever your name is"."

The image of the aged Granny Smith faded away as Fluttershy fazed into view.

"Fluttershy. Exudes kindness to others but possesses no assertive qualities, leaving herself vulnerable to exploitation by others."

Fluttershy gave way to Pinkie.

"Pinkie Pie. Try as I might I cannot articulate this one. She is described as "random" by her friends but this explains nothing. If I had to speculate I would assume she is the product of Discord dividing his being."

Pinkie gave way to Rarity in her attire from earlier in the day.

"Rarity. Well mannered and in possession of refined qualities to a greater degree than the others. Polite and respectable, however she possesses a considerable distaste for dirt and filth in general leaving her susceptible to stressful situations that render her useless."

The image changed again to display Rainbow Dash, a cocky grin on he face.

"Rainbow Dash. By far the most skilled in manipulation of her reiatsu. However her skill in such is devoted to her use of overly flashy techniques that possess no redeeming qualities. Her "Sonic Rainboom" technique consumes sixty five percent of her reiryoku reserves in one go. Added to that her personality leaves her...unpleasant. Brash, hotheaded, impulsive, quick tempered, and hostile. I fail to see any redeeming qualities to her."

And on it went. And on...and on... and on...

And on...

For an hour and a half Celestia and Luna were subjected to a dryly delivered report, his views and opinions of a good sixty ponies he'd had any interaction with. Ditzy Doo, Vinyl Scratch, Time Turner, Mrs. Cakes, Cherilee, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Colgate, Caramel, Lyra Heartstrings, Carrot Top, Diamond Tiara, Davenport, etc. The majority of those shown weren't given an overly favorable review, although a few were addressed relatively politely.

Try as she might Celestia was having a hard time staying focused on everything. The report was extensive in nature and a good portion of it she was already familiar with; she knew all of these ponies he was listing, and she knew them quite well. It was...redundant really, the only thing that stuck out was his opinion of them. At some points she found herself wondering if he was just trying to pad his own report by including the irrelevant details about each and every pony in an effort to space out what he'd learned.

Not that there was anything wrong with that. It was just...alright there _was_ something wrong with that. But she really didn't want to interrupt his report right now.

But finally the report came to an end, at which Ulquiorra opened his left eye and revealed that his eyeball had returned, further creeping Celestia out. How had he done that?

"That was...rather detailed..." Celestia replied, uncertain of what else she could really say on the matter. "But perhaps next time a written report would do better. That technique is...rather gruesome..."

"Tell us, Ulquiorra Cifer, of those that thou hast met doth any strike you as outstanding for one reason or another?" Luna asked. She'd been sentenced to no sweets and mashed alfalfa just to be told that the residents in Ponyville were boring and lacked interesting qualities? Surely not! There must be something to justify this matter, something other than being told their subjects were trash!

"These individuals," Ulquiorra paused as several images were drawn up. Displayed in the still remaining cloud was Big Macintosh, Ditzy Doo, Lyra Hearstrings, Applejack and last Twilight and Spike. "Of all those met I have reason to believe that these six possess a unique potential to make them interesting and worth further interaction," he explained. After a pause he continued. "I still possess doubts about the notions you support, about friendship being tangible and worthwhile becoming involved in. However there have been certain experiences that have managed to pique my curiosity. Overall the town of Ponyville would seem to warrant further investigation."

Luna wasn't sure how to respond. That was probably as close as Ulquiorra Cifer was going to come to giving Ponyville a shining recommendation based on his experiences there. The fact that he'd found several ponies to be interesting suggested that maybe there was hope for him; especially if Twilight Sparkle and her friends could teach him more about the magic -and the basic concept- of friendship. If there was hope for him then maybe she could tolerate the mashed alfalfa.

Maybe.

* * *

The day had ended, night had descended, and Ulquiorra was back in the Canterlot library reading as if he had no concern for anything in particular. His first steps beyond the castle had been filled with new discoveries and many new faces. He couldn't particularly say that he cared for them. A few of the ponies he'd met today would warrant further interaction if allowed. Others had some potential to become interesting enough to warrant further interaction. The rest were little more than trash and appeared to be designed to take up background space and supply whatever degree of manual labor was necessary to keep the town running.

_"Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide,"_ he thought to himself as he read the cover of the book. This was a book he'd discovered not long after arriving but had passed on it due to the title. He had no concern for such a ridiculous concept...at least he hadn't earlier on, but now with the discoveries he'd made it seemed far more relevant. If these "Elements of Harmony" were truly one of the defenses of Equestria then it would pay to learn everything he could about them.

At least that was his thought until he felt his pesquisa tingling. Someone -no rather some_thing_- had managed to sneak into his detection area without him noticing. In a flash his zanpakutō was drawn, Murciélago's tip pressed against the tall intruders throat.

"Woe, easy there lad!" came the call as Discord raised his mismatched arms in a defensive gesture and took a step back to get the sword away from his neck. "I shaved this morning by myself, I'm old enough not to need any help but thanks for offering regardless."

Discord. The one who was responsible for him being here currently, his presence being all the more reason to keep his zanpakutō out and at the ready. "How you subverted my pesquisa is a mystery. Even if I asked you to explain I don't believe you would give me a concise answer," Ulquiorra replied evenly. "What is it that you want?"

"Why merely to congratulate you on a successful first day outside these drab, plain walls, that's all," Discord reassured him. Or at least he tried to reassure him, the look in his eyes suggested he wasn't convinced. Not that he minded one bit, it wasn't any concern to him. "So how long did it take you to figure out Celestia's ulterior motives this time?" he asked.

"To what are you referring?" Ulquiorra asked back. Was this misshapen assortment of various animal parts talking about the other night and the failed assassination attempt in the garden? Or was there something else?

"Don't be coy with me, you know what I'm talking about; the Elements of Harmony," Discord stated in a forced whisper.

"Soon after the pony called Applejack informed me of their existence, nature and purpose," Ulquiorra replied simply. There was no need to further elaborate in a redundant manner on the discovery. It certainly made sense that if Princess Celestia still considered him a threat that she'd put him right in striking distance of the country's defenses should he cause any trouble. Of course she probably hadn't counted on him discovering it so quickly through the helpfulness of her own subjects.

Would she have sent him there if she knew he would so quickly identify each of the six? Most likely not.

"And the way you sowed the seeds of uncertainty and chaos among those six, oh it was so beautiful!" Discord stated with a smile that, much to Ulquiorra's dulled surprise, wrapped completely around his face and met in the back. "I daresay I couldn't have been able to do better myself if I tried."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ulquiorra replied in a dismissive tone before finally resheathing his zanpakutō and turning his attention away from the spirit of chaos.

Discord stopped and thought. He'd been fully aware of the Espada's actions ever since he came to Equestria, especially his conversation with Applejack and the allusion to him not truly being evil but simply different. He'd managed to shake the resolve of the Element of Honesty and left her with questions that were bound to have far reaching repercussions in the future; and he was positively giddy to see what happened. And if Ulquiorra had set those consequences into motion accidentally rather than intentionally then it was even more scrumptious to consider.

"No? Nevermind then. Still I think you should be rewarded for your actions today," he replied before leaning in close and whispering. "I know all about Celestia's actions last night. Just so you know that's the first time her binding spell's ever worked on anything. And I know how to undo it because I've seen it. I can give you back your resurrection so you can use it anytime you want. Think of the fun that could be had."

"Resurrección," Ulquiorra corrected on the pronunciation before continuing, "I have no interest in anything you may have to offer me. My loyalty is to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. You are nothing more than trash; both in substance and appearance."

Discord blinked in surprise as he drew his head back. That was...unexpected even by his standards. "You're turning down the opportunity of absolute power? And for what, loyalty to Celestia? Are you insane or something, lad?" he asked.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied and turned his attention back to the book he'd been reading before he was so rudely interrupted. He left Discord without any further conversation for as long as it took him to read over the entire page he was on. "When you return to see Princess Celestia kindly inform her the latest test of my character proved as futile and transparent as the last."

Discord frowned, utterly offended at being accused in such a manner. Did he really believe that Celestia would use him to initiate a test of such low standards? The nerve of it all!

"You're quite boring, you know that?" Discord asked. Ulquiorra said nothing and merely turned the page. Scowling the spirit of chaos snapped his fingers and disappeared just as he'd come, leaving no trace behind.

"Trash..."

* * *

It was amazing how many conversations seemed to take place in the royal gardens over the past few days. Perhaps she should officially reclassify the gardens as the outside meeting area for all future purposes, that would make much more sense. It was certainly a nice area, it'd provide for a nice relaxed setting for conversations and meetings and other discussions. Maybe she'd look into doing just that.

Of course it would have to wait until the coming migraine passed. The migraine...and the spirit of chaos that was currently standing behind her with a cheesy grin on his face.

"The hour is late, Discord, I really want to go to sleep. What news do you have for me?" Celestia asked, short on the pleasant formalities she'd exercised during the course of the day.

"He didn't take the bait," Discord stated simply. "I promised him unimaginable power with the restoration of his resurrection. Sorry, his "resurrección" and he still didn't consider it."

Celestia remained neutral in terms of expression at the news. Discord's promise for power and release had been turned down in short order just as Luna's offer of leaving the castle grounds had been turned down. Ulquiorra's loyalty was as consistent as his bluntness.

Seeing the smile that was slowly forming on Celestia's face Discord continued. "And that little rat, he had the nerve to tell me to inform you that your latest test of his loyalty and character was poorly crafted and extremely transparent...just like the last one," he stated and huffed, crossing his mismatched arms across his chest in frustration.

Celestia frowned. How had Ulquiorra known? How did he know she'd sent Discord to test him? Did he know that she'd done the same with Luna? Just how much _did_ he know and what wasn't he telling her? She knew that he was quite observant and highly intelligent, but this was beginning to leave her feeling very unsecured. How was this happening? Where exactly had she lost control of the situation?

"Does he know about the Elements of Harmony?" Celestia asked hesitantly.

Discord grinned. "Only in an academic sense from the book he's reading. Fortunately he's blissfully ignorant of where they are or who has them. As far as he knows they're just an obscure relic," he lied. If Celestia was going to be using him for the sake of testing their guest then who was to say he couldn't have a little fun of his own? She didn't need to know the full truth. She wasn't the only one who could have ulterior motives for her actions; two could play at this game!

Fortunately his lie seemed to have the desired effect and Celestia accepted it without any question. If she knew what he knew then it would surely ruin everything. After all the work he'd gone through to bring Ulquiorra to Equestria he couldn't stand to see everything ruined. He had big plans for him, he couldn't risk the Arrancar being indefinitely confined to Canterlot castle. He'd have to play his cards carefully, perhaps even take a more active role in things so they could proceed smoothly.

"He's proving to be far more intelligent than I thought possible," Celestia commented, "this is going to take some considerable thinking."

"Quite so, my dear, quite so," Discord replied.

There was a lot of uncertainty in this world and he liked that very much. But there was something certain that he liked even more; for better or worse the land of Equestria was soon to get a whole lot more interesting!

It was at that moment that a scroll materialized above Celestia's head and dropped into view. Obviously one of her little ponies had sent her a message. Without a second thought she opened it to read it.

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_I'm happy to report that Ulquiorra's first visit to Ponyville was a success. He's quite rough around the edges but I have hope for improvement. While it's far too early to conclude that he's learned about the wonders of friendship I have sufficient reason to believe that my friends and I have managed to sow a few seeds on the matter. I also believe that further visits will help cement and establish a firm foundation on the subject._

_Your faithful student,_

_Twilight Sparkle_

Celestia smiled to herself. Twilight's optimism was refreshing on the matter. Maybe things really _would_ be alright if given enough time. Maybe all she needed was to be patient and let things progress as they did.

Right?


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Thirteen**

Luna let out a tired sigh. When the ruling of Equestria changed hooves and it was her turn to watch over the night things tended to be slow. Rarely did anyone attend the night court to seek her counsel. Her dear sister may have the headache of bickering nobles to deal with, but she was left to face long and boring stretches of nothing most of the time.

Making matters all the more unpleasant was her sister's punishment for involving her student in the matter pertaining to Ulquiorra Cifer. She was accustomed to the relative shunning of the Canterlot population who believed her sister was worth their time -and ignorance- but to be forced to experience the dulness without any sweets to distract herself with went beyond cruel and unusual punishment; it was completely unforgivable! She didn't even get to have any syrup on her pancakes, how did her sister expect her to eat such an abomination against the natural order of things?

The only thing keeping her from going truly mad from sugar withdrawl was her small stash of assorted candies hidden in her chambers to provide her with a small bedtime snack. She'd have to ration them carefully to make it through this week...or find some way to sneak behind her sister's back without her realizing it.

She let out a sigh. Looking around she realized she'd managed to kill another five minutes, but that still left her with several hours before her sister would be waking up and taking over. She had to figure out something she could do to pass the time better.

And just like that a thought came to her mind on what she could do. There was a matter that needed to be addressed and now seemed like as good a time as any. "Go to the royal library and fetch Ulquiorra Cifer," she told one of her shadow guard at the base of the throne's steps.

The guard nodded in understanding and departed from the throne room to carry out his assigned duties, leaving his counterpart behind to fulfill the other duties of guarding Princess Luna should anyone be foolish enough to launch an attack against her.

Woe be to anypony to attempt such a suicide mission.

* * *

"Sir."

the presence of the guard entering the library wasn't sufficient to disturb Ulquiorra from his reading. However being addressed directly was another matter. He cast an aside glance out of the corner of his eye to the shadow guard member standing before him. Fortunately the guard seemed observant enough to realize he had his attention at this point.

"Princess Luna requests your presence in the throne room," the guard stated.

"I decline the invitation," Ulquiorra replied simply as he turned the page in the book he was reading. The guard seemed fazed by his statement and left uncertain what to say in response.

"I have my orders to bring you to the throne room, sir," the guard continued.

As he figured. What the guard referred to as a request was more accurately described as a command appearance and not one he had a say in; just as he suspected. Memorizing the page number and the book he placed it back on the shelf before turning and approaching the guard, slipping his hands back into his pockets in the process.

The walk to the throne room was as silent as he'd anticipated, neither party saying a word or so much as clearing their throat. Just a simple walk down the long stretch of hallway before coming to a conclusion at the opened doors of the throne room. At that point the escorting guard took his leave and returned to the steps leading to the throne.

"We art most glad thee could attend, Ulquiorra Cifer, please approach," Luna greeted.

"My presence was commanded. It was not a matter I had any say in," Ulquiorra replied evenly as he stepped closer to the throne, stopping about twenty feet away from the steps that lead up to it. "For what purpose was I ordered to make myself available?"

Straight to the point and short on pleasantries. She could respect that but she still frowned. She needed to proceed with caution on the matter; afterall she wasn't in a competition for bluntness. "There were a number of issues raised by thee's report on Ponyville and the ponies living there. We wish to go over the matter more thoroughly," she explained, "thou seemed...unkind in your opinions. Our sister was displeased by thee's delivery."

To a normal resident of Equestria the news that their Princess was displeased with them would be very upsetting. To Ulquiorra it was nothing and his posture practically broadcast that fact. "As I have explained it is no concern or fault of mine if Princess Celestia finds disfavor with what I have to say. If she was not prepared to be informed that the majority of her subjects are little more than trash then that is her problem and not mine," he replied evenly and collectively.

Luna's frown deepened. Ulquiorra Cifer's report had been delivered in a less than favorable light. But he hadn't referred to anypony as trash. "And informing our sister that her dear student may possess the capacity for murder? Was that truly necessary?"

"Merely an observation. If Twilight Sparkle is truly a prized student then Princess Celestia deserves to know that things may proceed in an unfavorable manner at some point in the future," Ulquiorra replied.

She'd summoned Ulquiorra Cifer to clear up uncertainties about his report and his findings and she was now trying to control her temper as he talked. Things were not progressing well at all. His deadpan delivery and unwavering calmness was just adding to her fury. "How can thee say such about those thou hast met today?" she all but demanded.

"What did you expect? Did you believe that during my time in Ponyville I would experience an epiphany and rethink my existence up to this point? Did you expect me to state that I developed friends and formed bonds with those that reside in the town?" Ulquiorra asked as he slowly began walking forward. "And what of your involvement of Twilight Sparkle? Perhaps you summoned her here for other motives? Did you believe that I would forge a relationship with her? Were you expecting me to find love, settle down and start a family with her or one of the others? The very notion of such a thought is physically repulsive and nauseating in nature," he explained as he stepped closer to the throne.

Luna was angered at the accusations. He was accusing her of going behind her sister's back and using her student -and _her_ friend- to try and further some outrageous agenda. And he was doing such in an unacceptably calm manner as he dared to step closer to her in a deliberately slow manner. Before she could even formulate a response he continued again.

"Back in my dimension I was a murderer, I don't deny that fact. My very existence is connected to the cannibalistic act of devouring thousands of my own kind in order to evolve. Once I became a Vasto Lorde I allowed myself to serve a _Shinigami_ and continued to murder others and threaten much worse to specific targets as I was ordered. Did you and Princess Celestia truly believe simply because I was sentient I was somehow less dangerous than a wild and untamed beast? Did you believe that teaching me a few courtesies and niceness would domesticate me into something like a pet? That being submerged into a town where everyone is nice and welcoming would be sufficient to make me regret my past actions and what I am? Did you expect me to want to become a contributing member of your society immediately because you believe in second chances for even the most heinous?"

"If thou sayest one more word we shalt banish thee to the moon for your impudence!" Luna angrily stated as he came to a stop not ten feet from the steps, her guards now on high alert at his proximity to her.

"Then do so without any further hesitation," Ulquiorra replied without so much as blinking.

Instead it was Luna's turn to blink. His words and his calm delivery left her surprised. He was threatened with the worst punishment imaginable and he was telling her to do just that? "...What?"

"If you truly believe I should be sent to the moon then do so without hesitation. Do not waste time by stating what you will do, simply do it and be done with it," he repeated.

Luna blinked more. Ulquiorra was standing painfully close, staring her down with those empty eyes and daring her to carry out punishment against him for angering her and she was left speechless; a fact he seemed to pick up on as he began speaking yet again.

"There are two reasons to believe you won't banish me to the moon. First and foremost is the fact that I am under Princess Celestia's rule and subject to her orders and determinations. Despite you being her sister she is unlikely to take kindly to you determining the fate of one of her subjects without first consulting her, regardless of the circumstances. Secondly is your own personal involvement in the matter; you went behind your sister's back by bringing Twilight Sparkle here even though you likely had reason to believe you would face consequences for such an overreach of your authority. You obviously believed the ends would justify the means or you would not have done such. If you banish me then you'll be admitting to yourself that your efforts amounted to nothing. You don't seem the type who would cut off your nose to spite your face," he explained.

She could feel her sister's coming migraine trying to branch out over into her head. Her left eye was twitching. Ulquiorra Cifer was truly an unapologetic monster and he freely admitted to that. Worse yet he was accurate in his explanation as to why he wouldn't soon be occupying himself on the surface of the moon. He knew that there was nothing she could do of real significance to silence his unkind statements.

And just like the predator that he was he picked up on her moment of weakness and verbally attacked yet again.

"I am not foolish enough to believe that Princess Celestia will ever trust me to the point where I will be free to travel without her royal guards being posted as my escorts. For either of us to believe a few measures of socially demanded courtesy and a willingness to answer questions would somehow change her mind of me would require a great deal of stupidity."

That was more than Luna could stand. She was accustomed to being looked down upon, mocked and insulted by others -after her time as Nightmare Moon she believed she had deserved it to some extent regardless of what Celestia said- but he was now badmouthing and insulting both her and her sister in her absence. Her wings deployed in a rage as her eyes began to glow bright white as her magical levels climbed.

**"BE GONE FROM OUR SIGHT AT ONCE THOU MOST CONTESTABLE CURR!"** she bellowed, shaking the throne room in the process.

Ulquiorra for his part realized only too late that he'd crossed that invisible line that constituted going too far. Without warning Princess Luna's reiatsu level shot up to the highest he'd ever seen and it could be felt throughout the area, crushing against his hierro in a suffocating manner. Her booming voice didn't help matters any and it was all quite overwhelming in nature. This was nearly as bad as his first night here when both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were met together.

He had severely underestimated her. That was the second time he'd made such a mistake, the only question remaining was if this time would prove as fatal as the last time.

**"DEPART THIS INSTANT! AND IF WE SEE THEE AGAIN BEFORE OUR SISTER DOTH RISE TO TAKE OVER THE RULE OF THE KINGDOM THOU SHALT FIND THYSELF CONFINED TO THE DUNGEONS!"** she bellowed further, the volume and intensity of her voice causing him to slide back several inches. **"AND DOTH NOT LET THE ROYAL DOORS SLAM ON THOU'S POSTERIOR ON THE WAY OUT!"**

It seemed that he was being spared the possibility of a gruesome death. At least this time around anyway. He decided the best course of action was to heed her actions and take his leave, retreating to the library for the duration of the night.

Luna watched as Ulquiorra Cifer left, turning around and walking out at a calm pace as if he'd just been politely dismissed by her sister. From her point of view it was almost like he was challenging her to strike him when he was exposed, like he was calling her out due to arrogance. But she didn't take the bait, she didn't rise to the occasion and smite him down regardless of what he'd said. Rather she simply took a deep, deep breath and began counting to herself.

* * *

For the first time in a long, long time, Ulquiorra had found himself completely overwhelmed by the reiatsu of another. Normally it was the other way around and trash was overwhelmed and nearly crushed by his presence. But this time around in Princess Luna's presence _he_ was the one that was left feeling like trash. As calmly and collectedly as he could he walked out of the throne room upon being dismissed, and found himself leaning against the wall for support at the first corner he turned, panting to catch the breath he'd been denied in the alicorn's presence.

_"It would seem necessary to modify my behavior somewhat. I have to assume Princess Luna is considerably stronger than she displayed during that moment of anger,"_ he thought to himself as he finally caught his breath and no longer needed the wall for support. As hard as it was to believe he had to face some unpleasant facts; his pesquisa was wrong. His observation of Princess Luna's reiryoku and reiatsu levels had been inadequate and not revealed the full story. Her wells ran considerably deeper than he could properly gauge. And it was logical to conclude that the same was true for Princess Celestia.

Another observation of his surroundings: in her fury Princess Luna had dismissed him without assigning any guards to escort him back to the library or wherever else he might go. Those that had followed him to the throne room hadn't been given any instructions and instead were left standing in the throne room awaiting orders.

He could chance returning to the throne room to inform her of this fact and potentially calm whatever foul mood had been formed by his observations and bluntness. Or he could simply return to the library on his own and not risk the further fury of Princess Luna by pointing out her own short sightedness.

It only took a glance back in the direction of the throne room for him to decide that discretion was the better option on this night.

* * *

Celestia had resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't be enjoying a restful night's sleep anytime soon. That wondrous little escape from the day-to-day worries and stressful events she was forced to tolerate was something she'd become quite accustomed to experiencing and the sudden lack of it left her disturbed and uneasy; moreso because she knew what the source of the trouble was, namely Ulquiorra's presence. She was aware of far many more details than her sister had been made privy to when she demanded answers. She'd seen everything for herself about what and who he was and what he did, she alone had to battle the mental strains of having such a dangerous being loose in her kingdom and interacting with her subjects. Having not seen the horrors of Hueco Mundo directly Luna had assumed she was overreacting and gone behind her back to involve Twilight in the matter. Even after she'd taken the step of informing her sister about some of the more unpleasant details she'd seen her sister had still been optimistic. From there it had been damage control in an attempt to keep all parties involved from crashing and burning. It was a delicate balancing act to maintain and very mentally straining.

That said it was surprising to see Luna present for their morning meal looking about as haggard as she herself felt. There were no pleasantries exchanged at the table, no greetings as she made her appearance, nothing of the usual. Most of her communication had been little more than grunts inbetween passive-aggressive bites to her food. It was all very...un-Luna-like, and it had her concerned.

And after an extended period of this Celestia couldn't take it any longer and had to speak up. "Luna? I can tell that something's wrong. However I have no idea what it might be that's troubling you. Do you feel like sharing?" she asked.

"No," Luna replied as she attacked a slice of toast.

Celestia frowned. Usually Luna preferred to give a longer response like "we doth not feel like it" or something along those lines. The one word answers were definitely out of the usual for her. She decided to press on. "As I said Luna I know that something's wrong. All I want to do is help you, but if you insist on being difficult then I feel the need to remind you that _I'm_ intimately familiar with each and every one of your most ticklish spots as well," she said as her wings flared briefly to reinforce the threat, just as Luna had done to her a few days prior.

Despite herself Luna let out an amused snort at her sister's warning, the irony not lost on her. "Very well, dear sister, we shall share," she replied before dabbing the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "Thee were most right when thou warned of Ulquiorra Cifer's nature. We found out last night that he can be quite cruel and merciless. He informed us that he considered our subjects to be no better than rubbish. He made no apologies for his allusion to Twilight Sparkle being of a murderous nature. Then he dared to go further and suggested we summoned Twilight Sparkle for less than honorable reasons that we will not even discuss. And then he didst dare to suggest that we are both stupid in nature!"

Celestia sat silently as Luna explained the situation to her, listening as her sister informed her of what she'd missed out on during the night. From the sound of it Luna had sought to clarify points raised during that tedious briefing from yesterday and had gotten far more than she bargained for. All in all she really wasn't surprised to hear it all. However before she could tell her sister her thoughts she began speaking again.

"Beyond being supremely rude Ulquiorra Cifer is unforgivably cold and merciless at calculating. During one of our less than stellar moments we threatened to banish him to the moon for his insolence and instead of cowering he didst dare us to do so. And when we hesitated he explained how he knew that we wouldst not do such a thing," she stated and let out a long sigh. "We hath never been so infuriated before by one subject," she finished and hung her head, using her hooves to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Ah, so that's what last night's commotion was about," Celestia commented. She knew she could feel -and hear- something going on during the evening, disturbing what little sleep she had been able to get. She'd let that pass for now though, there were more important matters at hoof. "So you're seeing that our guest isn't exactly the best of company simply because of his nocturnal nature."

"Doth not jest with us right now, dear sister, we art most displeased with Ulquiorra Cifer's lack of respect for royalty and his absence of manners. What he said was most uncalled for. To suggest that Twilight Sparkle is...that we would...that..." Luna was unable to properly articulate her frustration and settled instead for a loud groan.

From where she sat Celestia extended a wing and patted Luna on the back. She could understand her sister's frustrations with Ulquiorra and his nature. He was far, far different from the many centuries of gratitude and worship that their little ponies treated them with. Whether that was a good thing or not she really didn't know just yet.

"Is there not something we can do to quell that uncouth mouth of his? Some ancient rule that we might cite about proper manners regarding royalty?" Luna asked hopefully after a long pause to gather her thoughts.

"Luna dear you know that I don't care for such heavy-hooved tactics. Simply because we don't like what he has to say is no reason to punish him for saying it," Celestia pointed out calmly as she continued stroking her sister's back. "A lot of things have happened since you were gone. During your absence the fields of science and theoretical thought gained much ground and a growing number of ponies insist that the sun rises and sets without my involvement at all. However I don't deny them their opinions nor do I desire to punish them for the content of their message. If I silenced all speech that I didn't care for it would appear that I have something to hide and we would be swamped with thousands conspiracy theories. Ulquiorra already views me unfavorably but that's his right. He's under no obligation to show some predetermined level of courtesy towards us and I'd rather not do something to reinforce his negative view," she explained.

"But after what he didst dare say about Twilight Sparkle, and why we involved her directly-" Luna started, only to be gently silence by Celestia.

"You know better than anypony about the matter and how we rule," Celestia pointed out.

Luna sighed as defeat slowly sunk in, hanging her head in recognition of the fact that there was nothing she could say on the matter. She would unfortunately have to let the matter drop and simply go back to eating her meal in silence.

Unfortunately that didn't happen as before she could even begin her next bite one of the servants came bursting through the main doors into the dining hall. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" the pegasus maid called frantically, galloping over to the table and nearly crashing into it before she could properly stop.

"My little pony, what's wrong?" Celestia asked as she rose from her seat. Very rarely did she ever see one of the servants react with such a fright.

"Great trouble is brewing, your Majesty!" the maid stated quickly and bowed while struggling to catch her breath. "As I was tending to my duties in the throne room I chanced a look out the window by the balcony and saw great billowing pillars of smoke rising from the mountains in the east! I fear that a _dragon_ may have nested in the area!"

Well now that certainly explained a few things. Nodding her understanding Celestia stood up from the table and began to walk toward the throne room to see for herself. A dragon this far into her territory could definitely be a problem, especially if it was nesting and making ready for a particularly long hibernation. Whatever the matter was it would have to be addressed and quickly.

* * *

Two things came to Celestia's attention as she entered the throne room, followed by the terrified maid and her sister. First and foremost the maid hadn't been exaggerating about the amount of smoke coming from the mountain region. It was indeed great billowing pillars of some of the thickest black smoke she could remember seeing in recent history, thick like an oil fire and viscous enough to block out her own sun if allowed to fester.

Secondly to come to her attention was the fact that Ulquiorra was already at the balcony and observing the smoke rise into the sky, his posture unchanged from the last time she'd seen him. She briefly wondered if that was his default posture but disregarded it as she stepped closer.

"It would seem a situation has arisen," he said simply, not even turning around to look at her as she approached. Whether it was due to his detection abilities or the sound of her hooves against the hard marble floor she didn't know, nor did she really care right now.

Stepping out onto the balcony next to him she surveyed the horizon more closely, a feeling of deja vu coming over her as she did. It had only been a little over two years ago that this situation had played out once before. And that hadn't even been the first time either. How many times had dragons attempted to nest in those mountains during her time? How often had she needed to have them chased out of there?

"It would seem you're right," Celestia replied and nodded. "It looks like a dragon has taken up residence in the mountains to the east and settling in for a rather long nap in some cave."

"Is it a threat?" Ulquiorra asked.

"In a way," Celestia replied as she turned her attention away from the smoke and to him. "Dragons have exceptionally long lifetimes, many of the ones who were around before Luna was banished are still alive today. It's not uncommon for dragons to spend a full century hibernating and when they do they breathe out huge amounts of thick smoke. If uninterrupted the accumulating smoke can blanket the sky and blot out the sun for entire areas," she explained.

"Eternal night as it were," Luna added as she stepped closer, her attention more on the horizon than the Hollow. "We do not know what Hueco Mundo is like but the plants in Equestria cannot survive without sunlight. Massive deforestation cannot be ruled out. And that is to say nothing of the short term health effects that wouldst be had from our subjects having to breathe such a polluted atmosphere."

Ulquiorra stood silent in the face of the new information. Without a word he grasped the hilt of his zanpakutō and partially unsheathed it.

"Whatever dost thou intend to do?" Luna asked as she watched in curiosity -and disbelief- as Ulquiorra ran his left pointer finger along the edge of his sword and drew blood before resheathing it.

"There are two things forbidden in Las Noches. One is that any Espada ranked Cuatro or higher releasing their zanpakutō within the fortress. The other is the discharge of the Gran Rey Cero technique. Both of which are so powerful they could destroy Las Noches," Ulquiorra explained calmly as he extended his left arm toward the east. "That said we are no longer in Las Noches. Even at this distance I don't believe it should take more than one Gran Rey Cero to completely destroy the specific cave and kill the dragon within."

In truth he was mildly curious about his own Gran Rey Cero, having never had the opportunity to use it before. He had dutifully obeyed the rules of Las Noches even during his battle with Ichigo Kurosaki. And once he was above the dome he'd gone with releasing his zanpakutō and utilizing his Cero Oscuras, the superior of the two advanced Cero techniques and exclusive to him and him alone. This would be a new experience for him.

They watched as a violet sphere of pure and unstable energy formed at the tip of his finger, gathering intensity and arching wildly and unpredictably. Both Celestia and Luna could tell that whatever this was, this "Gran Rey Cero" as he referred to it, there was a great deal of destructive power behind it. If it were to actually hit something...

Immediately a sphere of golden energy completely enveloped Ulquiorra's hand and the forming Cero. Glancing over he saw it was the work of Princess Celestia's magic. If he were to discharge his Cero now the resulting explosion would most likely disintegrate his hand and a good portion of his arm as well. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked calmly.

"Ulquiorra," Celestia spoke calmly, "I can understand that things were done differently in Hueco Mundo. But here in Equestria we don't simply kill something just because it might prove itself to be a potential threat. We try and resolve whatever situation arises in a peaceful manner to avoid a loss of life regardless of who or what it is. In the past we've had success persuading dragons to leave the area under peaceful terms, there's no reason to believe this time will be any different."

Such foolishness on her part. Did Princess Celestia truly believe such nonsense? He could feel himself _glaring_ at her. Her words could not truly be believed.

"I don't share your views. You have already confirmed that the dragon's presence is a threat not only to the health but the lives of countless thousands of your subjects. And you still choose to maintain the optimistic view that you can talk the situation out?" Ulquiorra asked bluntly. He could feel Princess Luna's anger induced flaring of reiatsu coming but his attention was focused on Princess Celestia as he awaited an explanation.

"Do you remember your meeting with Fluttershy yesterday?" she asked calmly. "She was the one who made the last dragon leave and find somewhere else to settle down for its long nap," she explained.

Now he was most curious. Fluttershy? The butter yellow pegasus who was terrified of him until he called her out on her fear had somehow forced a carnivorous predator out of its established home? Not through use of the Elements of Harmony but rather through her own effort? It was preposterous in nature. How could something like that even be the case?

And yet Princess Celestia was looking at him in all seriousness. There were no visible signs that she was perhaps joking in the matter. Her posture and facial features were consistent with her telling him everything else that had been truthful up to this point.

"When you assigned me the purpose of learning about friendship I considered it to be foolish in nature," Ulquiorra stated. "I failed to see how such the study of such a vague and intangible concept could amount to anything resembling a true purpose. I would have disregarded it on the spot if you were not stronger than I," he explained evenly as he turned his focus away from Princess Celestia and back out toward the pillars of smoke. Celestia said nothing but her attention was drawn to the cero inside the sphere as it began to dissipate. "However even though I consider your assigned duty to be absurd I will still fulfill it dutifully until such time that you command otherwise."

Celestia blinked. That was...very off topic from the original discussion. However before she could comment he began speaking again.

"That said I request the opportunity to observe how the concept of "friendship" can resolve this matter. If the pegasus Fluttershy is truly able to make the dragon leave of its own volition without the use of violence then it is something that needs to be properly studied and understood."

It sounded almost like something her student Twilight would say, even if the delivery was considerably different. First he'd informed her that he considered her absurd and then he'd asked to actually see her beliefs in action. Right now she really wanted to chuckle despite it all.

"And why shouldst thee be allowed to do such after the disrespect thou hast displayed towards us and our sister?" Luna all but demanded.

Ulquiorra slowly turned around as far as he could to address her directly, his left hand still held securely by Princess Celestia's magic. "I have just been informed that a serious threat resides to the east of Canterlot and the appropriate response is to send Fluttershy to speak to it. You can understand my skepticism with trusting the safety of the kingdom to a pony who can barely speak above a whisper under the best of circumstances," he explained evenly. "It was a matter of friendship that lead to your being freed from the hold of Nightmare Moon. This was among the many things you yourself made me aware of during our first night of conversation. If I'm to believe this concept of "friendship" has any merit then I must see it for myself and witness what it can truly do."

Celestia and Luna remained silent as they contemplated the position they found themselves in, and it was indeed a difficult one. What exactly was the proper answer to give in a situation like this?

"If we did let you observe the operation what guarantee do we have that you wouldn't rebel and attempt to kill the dragon instead of letting Fluttershy and her friends try and persuade it to leave peacefully?" Celestia asked. Loyalty or not she had her concerns. Just a minute ago he'd planned to fire his "gran rey cero" to try and not only kill but bury the dragon in a single shot.

Without even thinking on the matter Ulquiorra began speaking again. "The same guarantee I have that you won't banish me to the moon should I displease you. Ultimately we have nothing more than the word of the other to go on and no reason to trust the other based on their words alone. We are at an impasse," he explained.

During their short time together Celestia had been made aware on multiple times that Ulquiorra was quite intelligent, highly observant...and as much as she hated to admit it he was quite right in this situation. Other than reliance on the honor system what did each of them have to believe the other wouldn't do something unsavory at some point down the line? This situation was the proverbial meeting of the irresistible force and the immovable object. This was going to require a great deal of her wisdom to arrive at the proper decision.

The question facing her right now though was whether or not she could make the proper decision and keep everything in proper balance. Should she show Ulquiorra a measure of trust and allow him to observe her little ponies in action? Or should she deny his request and keep him here? And if she did, how she she ensure he didn't disregard orders and go anyway? Just a moment ago he tried to kill the dragon for being a threat. Granted she could understand why he'd do something like that, but how did she prevent a similar incident from occurring? She couldn't watch him the entire day and she couldn't ask Luna to stay up and watch him until after the dragon had left.

If she allowed him to watch as Fluttershy did what few other ponies could do it might truly help him better understand friendship and motivate him to commit himself fully to the subject rather than just going through the motions. But it was equally likely that if she allowed this outing he would choose to kill the dragon on the grounds of it being a threat to Equestria. Once again she could feel that persistent sensation of a migraine trying to form.

Some days it simply didn't pay to be a princess.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fourteen**

Spike's ears were bleeding right now, not literally but figuratively. He was certain after yesterday Twilight had given up on that tune she'd been alternating between trying to sing and trying to hum to herself but he was very, very wrong. Right now she was in the middle of hitting all the wrong notes and it just made him flinch harder, and harder, and harder. He didn't know how much longer he could take it before he had to scream at her to stop for the sake of all things holy and melodious in nature. Vinyl Scratch would have none of this, so why should he have to tolerate it?

Fortunately he was blessed with the sound of knocking at the library door. A knock meant a visitor and a visitor meant a reason to interrupt Twilight's musical inabilities. "I'll get it!" he called as he dashed across the room as fast as his stubby little legs could carry him, rushing right past Twilight without another word.

Without another word was quite accurate in this situation. Twilight had heard Spike open the door but nothing after that. Now curious she spoke up to get to the bottom of this mini mystery. "Spike? Who is it?" she asked.

"Twi' I think you'd better come and see for yourself," Spike replied as he stood unmoving at the doorway.

Now she was really curious. What would be so surprising to Spike that he couldn't relay a simple message she could see what it was; Ulquiorra was standing in front of them, his left hand tucked into his pocket while his right hand was at his side and clutching a scroll. - What would be so surprising to Spike that he couldn't relay a simple message? Upon seeing for herself, she was much more understanding. Ulquiorra was standing in front of them, his left hand tucked into his pocket while his right hand was at his side and clutching a scroll.

"Greetings," he said simply upon making eye contact with her.

"Ulquiorra? What're you doing here?" Twilight asked and blinked. Looking around she didn't see any signs of a royal chariot or members of the royal guard being present. This was all striking her as very weird.

"Official business," he replied and held out the scroll to her. He watched her puzzled face for a moment before her horn glowed and the scroll was levitated over and unrolled to be read.

_Dear Twilight Sparkle,_

_It has come to my attention that a dragon has once again taken up residency in one of the caves of the mountain region to the east and is apparently settling in for a long nap. I know that I don't have to explain the severity of the situation to you as this incident has occurred once before and was dealt with marvelously. I must ask that you gather your friends and once again persuade the dragon to leave._

_At present time the upper wind levels are keeping the smoke from heading westward and blanketing Ponyville, but I have it on good authority from the weather bureau that these winds won't last more than a few hours._

_I know that you also have questions about Ulquiorra's presence and his delivering of this note rather than it coming through Spike. In order to assist his studies on friendship, I've allowed Ulquiorra to join you on this outing so that he might witness what Fluttershy can do and what wonders a little kindness is truly capable of._

_You're in charge of this mission my dear student. Please proceed with caution._

_Signed,_

Princess Celestia

Twilight read the note silently, and then read it over again just in case there was something she'd missed on the initial read through. She had more questions than she had answers right now, and while finding the answers could be enjoyable this wasn't one of those times. A sleeping adult dragon was a hazard and they all knew that. But right now there were other matters that were nearly as pressing and needed to be addressed.

"Ulquiorra? Where's your escort? How'd you get to Ponyville?" she asked.

"Due to the severity of the situation Princess Celestia has provided me with the rare opportunity to travel solo as time is of the essence. That is all that must be known right now," he explained calmly. "Where are the other Elements of Harmony? More specifically where is Fluttershy?" he asked bluntly.

One thing was definitely for certain as far as Twilight could tell, Ulquiorra was consistent in being straight to the point. "Well the girls are all over Ponyville so it's hard to tell just where they are. But Fluttershy is likely at her cottage near the edge of the Everfree Forest and tending to her animal friends," she explained.

"Lead the way," Ulquiorra stated and stepped aside to let them exit the library.

Twilight wasn't certain just what was going on. Ulquiorra being able to find the library and not having questions about how the tree could still be alive when hollowed out, she could pass that off as being the work of Princess Celestia possibly explaining it to him on where to find her. But as she stepped out of the library to show him the way to Fluttershy's cottage...she wasn't certain. There was something to him, something subdued beneath that calm and orderly veneer that just felt...antsy and impatient. It was like he was trying to suppress a desire to find the dragon and quickly. Whatever it was this definitely wasn't right.

* * *

It wasn't a long walk to Fluttershy's house from the library, but with the degree of silence present it certainly felt long. The atmosphere felt tense around them as Spike rode on Twilight's back, Ulquiorra walking with them at an even pace. They both knew for certain now that something was up, but they really couldn't tell what it was. There was just something about his posture and movements that seemed...off...compared to the past two days. It was like some herky jerky motion interfering with the otherwise smooth flow of his body, like he was struggling to contain some inner force that was threatening to tear him asunder if he were to lose his hold.

"So...Ulquiorra," Spike began in an effort to break the silence, "How'd you get to Ponyville without an escort? It's an awful long walk from Canterlot to here."

"Using sonido it only took three minutes to travel from Canterlot to Ponyville," Ulquiorra replied as they walked along.

"Three minutes?" Spike asked in disbelief, nearly falling off of Twilight's back as he rode along. Had he really said three minutes? "Seriously, three minutes? That's...that's impossible, even Rainbow Dash can't travel from here to Canterlot in just three minutes. She tried it once and it took her five minutes at full burn to get there!" he stated.

"I've got to admit that's really impressive. More like outstanding really. I thought Rainbow Dash was at the peak of non-teleportation travel speeds but that theory's just been blown out of the water. Better not let her find out about that or she's _really_ gonna be upset," Twilight pointed out.

"At present time I have no reason to be concerned if one suffering from extreme narcissism is displeased with the fact they're outclassed."

Twilight frowned at Ulquiorra's words. On the one hand...hoof...he was right about Rainbow Dash being narcissistic, what with always bragging about how awesome she was. But then again she'd proven that she did live up to her own legend or was at the very least capable of doing so with a little effort. But on the other hoof, he was being quite blunt about his statement and it was bordering on cruelty from what she could see.

Then again maybe he was right to not be concerned. There really wasn't much that Rainbow Dash could do in retaliation even if she tried; it wasn't like she could pound him into jerk cider or anything like that. Officially as far as her friends were concerned, Ulquiorra was still a visiting dignitary and even Rainbow Dash wasn't hotheaded enough to try and launch an attack against him, regardless of what he might say to upset her. Afterall she was hotheaded, not stupid.

"Two for the price of one."

Twilight was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Ulquiorra's voice again, bringing her attention forward to see that they'd arrived at Fluttershy's cottage. And from their position she could see Fluttershy was in the front yard and tending to her birds, while Rainbow Dash was chatting with her about something she couldn't quite hear.

"Looks like we got lucky," Twilight commented. Or at least was in the process of doing so before Ulquiorra disappeared from sight, all that was left behind was the booming echo of static. "Where'd he go?"

The sudden sound of Fluttershy's terrified shriek was a good indication he just used sonido to cross the distance quickly.

* * *

"Fluttershy."

It had started out as such a nice day when Fluttershy got up. The birds were singing, all her little animal friends were happy and getting along so well, and her friend Rainbow Dash had shown up to tell her about some new confection Pinkie had dreamed up overnight and was currently in the middle of. From the description she thought it sounded absolutely delicious and something she should look into the next time she had to go into Ponyville.

However that all changed when a white blur appeared in front of her, startling her so much her heart nearly burst out of her ribcage as she fell back with a scream.

"Flutterhsy!" she faintly heard Rainbow Dash call as she quickly made her way over to her. "What the _hay_ do _you_ want?"

Looking back up she saw the white blur was more accurately Ulquiorra standing before her, still in the same standing position as yesterday and looking down at her, still with the same gaze as last time but lacking the overwhelming intensity. Right now she could hear Rainbow Dash being upset with him.

Ulquiorra paid Rainbow Dash no mind and continued focusing on Fluttershy instead. "Princess Celestia requires your presence on a mission of great importance. It pertains to your ability with animals," he explained calmly. "There's a dragon slumbering in the caves east of Canterlot in the mountain region. You're needed to convince the dragon to move elsewhere in order to prevent it from blotting out the sun with a century's worth of smoke."

A...dragon? Fluttershy's mind seemed to turn off after being informed about that part of it all. A big, mean, scary _dragon_? "Nonononono," she shrieked/whispered and darted behind Rainbow Dash for protection and cover. She couldn't go face down a dragon no matter who was asking her to, she just couldn't!

Ulquiorra blinked. Did Fluttershy truly believe she could cower behind Rainbow Dash and be hidden from view? Such ridiculousness in this world.

"Ulquiorra! Hold up!" Twilight called as she came charging up the path, Spike clinging to her to avoid getting bounced off. She knew nothing good was going to be happening when she heard Fluttershy's shriek of terror, and that was only confirmed when she saw Fluttershy duck behind Rainbow Dash and start trembling.

"She heard?" Spike asked as Twilight came to a stop by them.

"Indeed," Ulquiorra replied and turned his attention back to the two pegasi, one currently in terror and the other in confusion.

"Twilight what's going on here? What's this about a dragon? And what's _he_ doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked as she gestured to Ulquiorra standing before them. After yesterday she really hadn't expected to see him again, especially not so soon. And she really hadn't wanted to see him either.

"Ulquiorra's here to see firsthoof just how Fluttershy can make the dragon leave its caves and go elsewhere, just like she did the last time. Princess Celestia gave it the green light," Twilight explained before turning to Fluttershy. However before she could speak Fluttershy spoke up.

"I can't do it," she whispered, "dragons are big, mean and scary, I can't face one again I just can't."

Rather strange. An animal care expert who was afraid to tend to animals? And how exactly did she explain her lack of fear around Spike if he was a dragon? Perhaps it was safe to conclude the fear wasn't based on the entire species, but rather specific specimens of such.

"But Fluttershy you have to!" Twilight stated, "Princess Celestia needs you, Equestria needs you! If you don't make that dragon leave he'll blot out the sun for a century!"

This was beyond ridiculous. Was Princess Celestia aware that her loyal subjects weren't quite so loyal? Were those that held the Elements of Harmony always like this? Would the Elements of Harmony even function in such a state of chaos? The four voices were almost unending in their nonsense and it was quite distracting. Glancing around he quickly began formulating a plan.

"You care for your animals, correct?" he asked. Through whatever means his voice seemed to reach Fluttershy and make her look up at him and nod in response. "If you don't fulfill your duties to Princess Celestia in this matter you will be directly responsible for their deaths. The only question will be whether they die slowly through starvation by the loss of plant life, or painfully from asphyxiation by breathing in the dragon's smoke."

Fluttershy didn't even hear the shocked gasps from her friends at Ulquiorra's words, her world had just faded away to her immediate surroundings and the animals before her. Her mouth hung open and all the color drained from her face as she considered his words. Her little animal friends were going to die if she didn't act? Her mind immediately began conjuring disturbing images of all the poor little animals slowly starving away to skin and bones, or choking in the thick clouds of black smoke, and eventually being replaced by an extensive graveyard filled with tiny wooden crosses. She couldn't let that happen, she just couldn't! Her little animal friends were all depending on her for their survival, she couldn't let them down just because she was afraid.

"I'll do it," she stated. However her soft voice wasn't heard over the argument that seemed to start up while she was distracted.

"Are you always this much of a jerk or are we just special or something?" Rainbow Dash yelled and threw her forelegs about wildly in Ulquiorra's direction.

"I'll do it," Fluttershy repeated but was still unheard.

"I'm inclined to agree with Rainbow Dash. That was pretty harsh just now," Twilight added.

"The direct approach was necessary. If we do not act immediately many will likely die. If Fluttershy is unable or unwilling to participate then I will have to report back to Princess Celestia and kill the dragon myself," Ulquiorra replied calmly.

"I'll do it," Fluttershy repeated but still no change.

"HA! You kill a dragon by yourself?!" Rainbow Dash asked is disbelief and amusement. "Nopony short of one of the Princesses could kill a fully grown dragon on their own, and you're definitely no pony and no Princess!"

Twilight wasn't sure how much of Ulquiorra's statement to believe. Slaying a full grown dragon -especially if it was a male dragon- was a...serious endeavor to engage in. It sounded more like the stuff of legend and adventure rather than a real event.

"QUIET!"

The loud scream was enough to silence the bickering that was going on between the four of them, the fact that it was Fluttershy who had raised her voice to such a level easily catching them off guard.

"I said I'll do it," she said in a far more normal tone than just a moment ago. Her animal friends were counting on her, she couldn't leave them hanging. And then when they were actually talking about...about killing the dragon...scared or not the dragon was still just a living creature, and she really couldn't just sit by and watch as one of them was senselessly harmed, it would go against her very cutie mark! "I-I'll talk to the dragon and convince it to go find another cave to stay in."

"Alright awesome 'Shy I knew you could do it," Rainbow Dash replied and turned around to hug her friend.

Ulquiorra said nothing at the display as Fluttershy's friends congratulated her for deciding to fulfill her duties to Princess Celestia. Instead he chose to ponder how such a ragtag bunch could reasonably be trusted with Equestria's safety.

* * *

"I-it looks really steep..."

Ulquiorra hadn't been anticipating the delay he'd encountered here. He assumed once Fluttershy had been located, informed of the pending emergency -and convinced to fulfill her duty to Princess Celestia- that they would be off to where the dragon was currently nesting.

Instead he'd been treated to what was surely the most useless waste of time to ever be encountered. Rather than immediately setting out to deal with the dragon that was threatening to plunge Equestria into a poisonous darkness they had insisted on gathering the remaining three members of their group beforehand.

Had the intent been to make use of the Elements of Harmony to combat the dragon it would make sense to maintain group unity, but that simply wasn't the case in this matter. He saw no beneficial purpose to the hour that was wasted in seeking out Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, informing them of the situation -going into minute detail much to his chagrin- and gathering supplies for the long journey before setting out. Were all of these ponies -sans Spike who was staying behind to handle their pets for the time being- truly necessary to act as an escort to bring Fluttershy to the cave where the dragon currently nested? Surely not.

And now he found himself being held up by a pegasus that seemed afraid of heights. What was he destined to encounter next, a fish that was afraid of deep water?

"Fluttershy we've been through this before, it's a cliff, it's gonna be steep," Rainbow Dash replied, clearly annoyed with her friend's timid nature. At least he wasn't alone on the matter.

"Wouldn't it be easier to teleport?" he asked as he looked up the cliff face, seeing several of the others already a considerable distance ahead.

"Normally yes. But teleportation is a highly demanding spell and requires a significant level of mana, the cost going up when things like distance and mass are increased. Trying to teleport over a thousand pounds of ponies, gear and...you...would limit my maximum range to only fifty feet and leave me exhausted," Twilight explained.

Uselessness. Utter uselessness. He could tell that this was going to be a very long, very trying day to experience. Perhaps he should have simply remained in the library and ignored this event.

* * *

"Hey dude..."

The initial rough patch of getting Fluttershy to start up the mountain had been just that; the initial rough patch, for many more laid ahead of them on this long, difficult journey. More than once Ulquiorra found himself tempted to forcefully grab her and sonido far ahead of the rest of the group in order to speed things along. It was only because of the possibility that he might scare her to the point she couldn't function that he refrained from doing such.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the entire journey so far was the fact that Rarity was present. Yesterday he'd made the evaluation that her fear of filth and disorder rendered her useless during a time of importance. And yet here she was trudging along with the rest of them, her complaints relatively minor. Perhaps he'd misjudged her and when the chips were down she could rise to the occasion as well as anyone. Being confronted with one's own impending death tended to motivate individuals to do things they never would've done under normal circumstances.

His attention turned to Rainbow Dash, who unlike her yellow counterpart was hovering about openly as her wings flapped rather than sticking to the ground like an earth pony. It seemed she was addressing him, although "dude" was hardly the correct title for such.

"My name is Ulquiorra, not dude," he replied as he continued following the others, paying little mind to Rainbow Dash as she hovered about like an annoying overgrow mosquito.

"Yeah well your name's kind of hard to pronounce," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "Nevermind that though. Look there's something about you that's struck me as weird ever since I met you, and for the longest time I couldn't figure out what it is. Sure you look different from anypony else, but then again so does every species. And after spending the night wracking my brains out it finally hit me early this morning."

At her silence he was beginning to wonder if she was waiting for him to speak up before she informed him about what required such an exercise of whatever limited degree of intelligence she possessed. Fortunately that didn't seem to be the case as she began talking on her own again.

"It's that sword you've got at your side. It's a katana isn't it?" she asked.

Rainbow Dash was not a pony Ulquiorra found much interest in. She was a source of annoyance to him and the less he had to interact with her the better. But right now she had managed to capture his interest with the question. It was true that his zanpakutō did bear visual similarities to the katana-class swords of the human world, just as nearly all zanpakutō did.

Now that he stopped to think on it, it seemed curious as to why that was. Regardless of continent all earthbound souls eventually became Hollows. Why were these so few zanpakutō that were anything else? It was a question that was best saved for another time though, right now he was curious as to how this pegasus knew anything about an aspect of his world's culture.

"I read about them in a book _"Daring Do and the Seventeen Samurai"_ and it described them pretty well. Long, thin, curved, handles wrapped in fabric in a crisscrossing manner," Rainbow Dash explained. "So is your sword of Neighponese origin? Are you like some sorta samurai or shogun or something?" she asked.

Neighponese? Yet another question to be saved for later.

"I am familiar with what you refer to. While it's true my zanpakutō possesses visual similarities to a katana that's where the similarities end. They are both constructed in two entirely different manners and not properly comparable to each other," he replied.

"Zanpakutō huh?" she asked, repeating the word slowly as she rolled it about to try and get an understanding on it. Finally she just shrugged and decided to fly on ahead with the rest of them, leaving him with a stretch of satisfying silence.

"Hey Ulqy!"

So much for satisfying silence. Somehow the strange earth pony Pinkie Pie had managed to appear right next to him without him noticing her absence from the larger group, her strange manner of bouncing/hopping keeping pace with his strides.

"What do you want?" he asked bluntly. What was with all of the interruptions all of the sudden?

"You mean besides a piece of Mrs. Cakes' awesome super delicious double chocolate chip cake?" Pinkie asked, "If you're a visiting foreign dignitary thingy isn't this the sorta thing you should stay away from? Dragons are big and mean and scary and above all dangerous! You can't make 'em laugh for nothing and most of them wouldn't think twice about swallowing a pony up in a single gulp!"

She was still very annoying to deal with. But this time her annoyance was focused on his own wellbeing. Commendable even if it was pointless.

"I'll take my chances in order to see what Fluttershy can do. She's referred to almost as if she were a deity amongst the animal kingdom. Such a feat much be witnessed to be believed," Ulquiorra commented. The one she should truly be concerned for was the dragon if things went south. The detectable reiatsu levels of the dragon weren't particularly worrisome at present time and he had little reason for concern. From his current position the reiatsu level felt on par with Zommari Rureaux, that was hardly enough to inspire concern.

Suddenly the ground was shaken for several seconds before the tremor finally passed, leaving the ponies concerned and him curious. "What precisely was that?"

"The dragon snoring," Twilight answered back.

A single snore being enough to cause the entire ground to shake? Perhaps his pesquisa truly wasn't working properly in this strange world. Perhaps the mana that permeated the area was many times more dense than reishi and those adapted to it were much more capable of dealing with it on a comparable level.

More disturbingly...perhaps Pinkie Pie was right to be concerned.

* * *

"Rest break y'all," Applejack spoke up.

The journey from Ponyville up the mountain had been long and quite tedious in nature. And apparently the affects of the journey were catching up with the rest of them as each of the ponies were slumping against something for support and looking exhausted, Ulquiorra being the only one unaffected by the long walk and climb.

Sometimes it was hard adjusting to the world of the living. Those with physical bodies made of flesh and bone had such finite stamina compared to Hollows. Looking upward he could easily see which hole the smoke was coming from, it wasn't more than a few miles from their current position. Why they didn't simply continue trudging on was beyond him. They still had the advantage of daylight and the dragons' snoring hadn't caused any further rock slides. Now was the time to be traveling.

"Hey Mr. Cifer, catch!"

His attention was drawn back to the group, more specifically the earth pony Applejack tossing him an apple that was easily caught in his hand.

"Ya'd best eat too, yer scrawny enough as is an' ya ain' eaten all day," Applejack stated.

He briefly considered explaining that he didn't need to eat to sustain himself, that he could survive on nothing more than the reishi in the atmosphere. But if he did then he'd have to spend more time answering more questions and it would only delay them further. The southern winds were no longer holding back the dragon's smoke and it was wafting its way over Ponyville and towards Canterlot. Right now the easiest thing to do was simply shut up and comply for the time being.

"Very well," he replied and bit into the apple, mildly surprised at the amount of flavor found within it. Were all the apples in this world like this or were they specific to Sweet Apple Acres? _"The Shinigami would likely raid her orchards if they found out about these..."_

"Really, Applejack darling, it's rude to inform someone that they're scrawny. Ulquiorra isn't scrawny, he's lean, he's sleek, he's svelte," Rarity replied, supplying a list of more appropriate terms to describe the Arrancar's physical build. "He's-"

"The smallest in stature to hold the rank of Espada," Ulquiorra interrupted before taking another bite of the apple. "Applejack's observation is quite accurate."

"...Espada? I'm afraid I don't know that term," Rarity stated after a moment's thought.

"A council of ten as it were. That is all that needs to be known," Ulquiorra replied. Now was definitely not the time to get into the finer points of Hueco Mundo and his dimension. They'd be here all night if the five of them were even half as curious as Twilight Sparkle.

* * *

The sun would be setting within two hours. It had taken most of the day to climb the mountain and avoid the hazards caused by the dragon's slumber but at long last they were a mere fifty feet from the cave's mouth where their quarry rested, blessedly ignorant of their position and existence.

"Crud that stinks!" Rainbow Dash choked out.

Unfortunately the same could not be said for them. Being in such close proximity to the dragon one thing above others became very apparent; the sulfur stench permeating the air from the dragon's breath. The closer they got the more intense and stifling it became. Each of the ponies was having their own trouble breathing normally, the only one showing no signs of affect being Ulquiorra.

Twilight Sparkle, much to Ulquiorra's mild curiosity, seemed the be the only one who had planned on such a potential development and was currently wearing some sort of breathing apparatus over her face. This world had gas masks?

"We're not gonna get anywhere like this, we need fresh air," she stated in a somewhat mumbled tone. "Rainbow Dash! Do your thing!"

"On it!" Rainbow Dash coughed and hovered off the ground, beating her wings with a great deal of force until she was churning up a huge amount of wind to blow the sulfur gasses out of the area so they could all breathe easier. Unfortunately it was only a temporary success as the gasses would return in short order until the dragon left the area and they all knew that fact.

"Let's get going everypony, it's going be dark soon," Twilight stated as she pulled off the breathing apparatus, trying to muster the troops onward into battle; or more accurately hostile negotiations. The dragon had to leave and there was no two ways about it. They'd all come so very far today, they just needed to go a little further and let Fluttershy do the talking.

"The dark is scary," Fluttershy commented nervously.

"Then let us not procrastinate any further," Ulquiorra stated somewhat forcefully. Right now all he wanted to do was sonido his way up to the cave and deal with the dragon himself. But he wasn't allowed to do that. He had to wait for the others to do what needed to be done.

It was strange how a mere fifty feet seemed to take longer than the entire rest of the journey. Despite climbing steep inclines and having to cross unforeseen chasms this last stretch of their journey was dragging on as if invisible weights were dragging them down. Of course Fluttershy's fear of the dragon and the darkness of the cave didn't help motivate her to move any faster. The only reason they'd gotten this far was him pointing out how many lives hinged on her succeeding in her mission.

"Somepony's gotta go in first," Applejack commented once they reached the mouth of the cave. After the last time of trying to chase out a dragon they realized the safest option available was to simply escort Fluttershy in rather than trying their hoof at it first. Her connection with animals made her the best candidate for such a mission, they just served as distractions.

Perhaps Twilight should've seen it coming, it was such an obvious setup and Ulquiorra had been acting strange all day. The minute Applejack pointed out that one of them needed to advance first, he had silently stepped ahead and began walking towards the dragon's cave as if he was devoid of anything even remotely resembling fear. His stride was like he was looking forward to this and had been the entire day. Was he really serious when he'd told Rainbow Dash he was going to kill the dragon himself? She'd been positive it was just boasting to try and motivate Fluttershy into action, but right now she wasn't sure one way or the other anymore.

"Ulquiorra wait up it could be-" she was in the middle of saying but stopped when she wound up crashing face first into the back of him when he suddenly stopped walking without any warning. Her muzzle hurt and she was disoriented now, wondering what had just happened.

"The dragon is currently awake," Ulquiorra stated as he turned his attention back to Twilight Sparkle over his shoulder. "And it would seem currently, it's very angry."

If she hadn't already come to a stop Twilight would've frozen in her tracks at hearing this statement. The dragon was _awake?_ Granted her knowledge on dragon's was rather limited but she didn't ever recall anything that talked about dragon's waking up during their naps for no reason. Right now her mind was reeling with questions and possibilities as to what just happened here. Had Rainbow Dash's clearing the sulfur away disturbed it? Had they made enough commotion that the dragon had been awake the entire time? These were just some of the questions to consider. But right now there was a much more serious and pressing question that needed to be answered.

"What now?"

Ulquiorra said nothing as he stood facing the cave, observing whatever it was he was observing that Twilight couldn't see. And how had he known the dragon was awake to begin with? She'd really like to know that right about now. However it seemed he had other ideas because instead of answering he knelt down to ground level and began using his finger to sketch something in the dirt.

Twilight blinked as she tried to figure out what he was drawing. It looked a lot like ancient cave paintings that dated back to the mesoponic era of Equestria's history. There was a large semi-circle with a squiggly line in the middle and two dots near the open area. An arrow was drawn from one dot toward the squiggly line while another arrow was drawn from the other dot to a group of five dots. Then an arrow drawn from the five dots, taking a long curve around to near the open area of the semi-circle, then around the semi-circle and then into it behind the squiggly line into the enclosed area to a group of six dots. What exactly was Ulquiorra doing?

She looked at him in confusion as he glanced over at her. He looked back down at the crude drawing and gestured at it with his hands, indicating there was importance to it. But for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it was...until he drew out a six pointed star by one of the dots. After that everything clicked like a finely crafted and properly oiled machine and everything made sense. Nodding she dashed back to where her friends were standing and waiting.

"Wha's goin' on Twilight?" Applejack asked. She was feeling quite confused right now, having not been able to make out what they'd been talking about after Twilight had chased after Ulquiorra only to crash into him.

"Change of plans, girls, Ulquiorra's going in the front way, we're going around. Drop your saddlebags and follow me," she explained. She was about to elaborate on the plan as it was presented to her when her ears perked out at the booming echo of static again. Looking back she saw Ulquiorra was nowhere to be seen. "I've _got_ to figure out how he does that..."

* * *

The plan was quite simple and easy to follow even if the instructions weren't presented on a full color spread sheet. The dragon was awake and aware of his surroundings. Ulquiorra would approach the mouth of the cave, evaluate the situation and provide a distraction while Twilight Sparkle and the others approached the long way around before teleporting into the cave at the back and approaching from behind.

His sonido had allowed him to approach and enter the cave undetected, only to come face to face with the dragon as if it'd been waiting for him the entire time. From what he could see in the dim light it was a considerably sized dragon, easily the size of a Gillian-class Hollow regardless of its crouched position. It frame was as heavily muscled as it was scarred, suggesting a male of considerable experience in combat, its skin dark and a row of bony points running down it head and along the spines like a mohawk, its golden eyes glaring down at him at it scowled through the darkness. From where he stood it appeared to have a quadrupedal frame, but he couldn't rule out the possibility of bipedal capabilities; the unicorn Lyra Hearstrings had demonstrated the significance of that fact yesterday.

"I wasn't expecting one so large," was all Ulquiorra could think to say. He was operating under the assumption that dragons weren't simply mindless beasts in the same manner as Hollows, and the only way to test that out was by talking to it and seeing how it responded.

The dragon continued glaring at him, blinking a few times and uttering a low growl, the noxious sulfuric fumes from his breath blowing past him. Much as he hated to, he had to agree with Rainbow Dash; the dragon's breath truly did stink.

Reaching out with his pesquisa he could feel the others approaching, slowly but surely getting into position. This would require some stalling in order to pull off properly. Unfortunately procrastinating wasn't one of his strong points. Continual talking to one that wasn't responsive wasn't something he was particularly skilled in; Princess Luna was better suited for that.

"I don't pretend to know your reasons for venturing so far into the territory of Equestria. Nor is it of any interest to me. However I am under orders to remove you as your smoke poses a serious health hazard to the ponies that live in the town below," Ulquiorra explained calmly. The dragon simply continued looking at him and blinking. Perhaps the vocal approach wasn't the best way to go. Perhaps the best course of action was to engage in a stare down and see which one of them would yield first.

"E-excuse me...sir?"

Ulquiorra was the first to blink at the voice. According to his pesquisa the six were now behind them near the back of the cave and slowly making their way forward. He'd focused so much attention on staring at the dragon to try and distract it he'd failed to notice the teleportation into the cave. Now though he was aware of Fluttershy's close proximity as she tried to address the dragon with whatever measure of courage she could manage. The dragon seemed equally aware of their presence as he turned away from the stare down to face the new voice.

"Sir...I know that you're really tired and all, and that all you really want to do is settle in for a long nap...but could you please...m-maybe find somewhere else to sleep? You see you're awfully close to Ponyville and a lot of ponies down below are-"

The dragon didn't allow Fluttershy to finish whatever she was saying and cut her off by violently -and loudly- roaring directly in her face, sending her flying backwards and crashing against the cave wall along with her friends who were unfortunately in the path with her.

That hurt a lot! All six of them were groaning and in pain from being tossed about so easily, each of their bodies more or less crumpling limply on the ground.

"That went bad," Rainbow Dash commented as her vision was swimming right now. How could an animal resist Fluttershy's nature? It didn't make sense to her, she'd managed to tame Discord and make him good so how could she not do the same with this dragon? None of it made any sense.

Ulquiorra wasn't surprised to see things proceed the way they had, he hadn't been expecting anything resembling a success from the meek pegasus addressing the dragon. However being right wasn't his primary concern right now, but rather the aggressive posture the dragon was taking toward them. That simply wouldn't do.

* * *

"Get your flank out of my face!"

"Move your leg!"

"You're squishing me!"

Things had gone from unfavorable to just plain bad in such short order that nopony could tell just what went wrong. The dragon had not only completely ignored Fluttershy's attempts at managing it, it went on the offensive and blew them out of the way with a single roar, leaving them in a pile on the cave floor, disoriented and trying to untangle themselves from one another.

"Real great plan Twilight! Whoever heard of sneaking up on a dragon?" Rainbow Dash asked sarcastically, unaware that the dragon was no longer paying any attention to Ulquiorra and instead was making its way over to them, a hungry look in its eyes as it licked its lips.

At least that's how it was until something caused them to stop fighting, a loud commotion erupting above them. They looked up just in time to see something shatter against the dragon's head in a cloud of smoke.

"I can't allow you to do that," they heard Ulquiorra say. Looking back as best they could they saw him standing with his right arm extended, some sort of red static energy dissipating around his hand and extended finger. "I have no personal care for their wellbeing. But I'm under orders not to allow any harm to come to them."

The dragon slowly turned away from them to face the original intruder again, giving them the time needed to untangle themselves and get back on their hooves.

"Cuatro Espada Ulquiorra Cifer. Fourth strongest Espada under the command of Sosuke Aizen. First strongest Espada under the command of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."

The dragon stared down at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra stared up at the dragon. It was another stare down just like a few moments ago. However this time the dragon reacted first by drawing in a deep, deep breath, and unleashing a torrent of flames that easily engulfed Ulquiorra before he could react or respond.

"Ulquiorra!" Twilight shouted in horror at having seen the entire display. He'd just saved them from the dragon only to meet the fate that was meant for them? The utter cruelty of it all! Now she turned to the dragon and was filled with rage over what was lost: someone who had never been blessed with knowing what friendship was, someone who had never known true kindness or what it was like to laugh, someone who was the greatest discovery in all the centuries of Equestria's history! How _dare_ that dragon do something like that?

"Impressive."

At the sound of the voice all eyes turned toward the front of the cave and what remained of the fire and the burning rocks. What should've been present should've been nothing more than a pile of cinders and soot. But strolling out of the flames was none other than Ulquiorra, looking like he wasn't even singed and merely dusting his jacket off. How was something like that possible? He'd taken the full force of the dragon's attack and was completely unfazed; he didn't even look like he was suffering from an adrenaline high!

"You nearly managed to singe through my hierro in that attack. I was unaware that a living beast could generate such an intense heat. It is truly applause worthy that you were able to perform such a feat," Ulquiorra said calmly. He then proceeded to do what nopony had ever expected him to do and clapped. Three very slow and sarcastic claps of his hands before he put them back in his pockets and began walking forward again.

The dragon seemed confused at how such a puny thing had survived being burnt, but that confusion quickly turned to rage as it actually began mocking him with its clapping! Who did this runt think he was!? Letting loose a deafening roar, another stream of fire was let loose and completely engulfed the pale figure.

"Too slow."

From their vantage point the ponies were seeing the whole mess unfold and not believing a second of it. He'd been completely engulfed in pure dragon's breath fire that was known to be able to melt rocks in high enough concentrations. From that he'd emerged unscathed and actually went onto mock the dragon and anger it into attacking. At which point he'd disappeared in a flash of sonido speed and reappeared atop the dragon's head and was currently looking down on it as if with contempt, informing it that it was too slow to keep up with him.

The entire display was something that went completely over their heads. How could such a thing be possible? How could Ulquiorra be showing up such a vicious dragon -vicious enough even Fluttershy couldn't get through to it- and be doing it all in such a casual manner that it was like foal's play? The amount of questions they had just kept adding up, every new display and every new sentence just adding to the mounting pile.

Without further discussion Ulquiorra calmly lifted his left foot and brought it back down fast, stomping on the dragon's head with a loud crack, hard enough to send it toppling to the ground, leaping off almost casually and landing in front of it as it groaned, before reaching out with his left hand and grabbing it by the nose.

"You have displayed a limited measure of intelligence. It is likely you are intelligent enough to realize that you're incapable of harming me no matter how hard you try. You should be equally intelligent enough to understand the best course of action is to leave now while you're still able to move under your own power," Ulquiorra calmly explained as he kept his hold on the dragon's nose and tightened it.

To the others it was hard to watch. Ulquiorra was delivering an ultimatum to a monster of a dragon as he held onto its snout with one hand, seemingly trying to stare it down when his head didn't even come up to its nostrils, and bragging that it couldn't do anything to hurt him.

"He's...he's crazy..." Rainbow Dash stated.

The dragon seemed inclined to agree with her statement and violently pulled its snout free from Ulquiorra's hold and roared at him, before pulling back a massive fist and bringing it down and forward right on top of him.

The proper response to such an attack would be to dodge, as anything caught in its path would be reduced to a bloody paste in short order. Ulquiorra however, failed to do so. As the dragon's fist came down on his position he instead held his hand upward and caught it on the descent. The act effortlessly stopped its advancement, the force of the impact traveling around him and damaging the stone floor in the form of large cracks radiating outward from his feet, and chunks of debris flying in every direction as it gave way to the laws of physics that demanded such.

"That...that jus' ain't possible!" Applejack stated in disbelief as her mouth hung open. "Nopony's strong enough ta do somethin' like that! How can such a scrawny fella pull off somethin' like that?!"

Twilight watched in silence, stunned at just how many things were...wrong...with physics for such a display to be possible. How could Ulquiorra be displaying more strength than a fully grown dragon despite the sheer differences in their size and mass? The dragon had to weigh more than three hundred times what Ulquiorra did and was easily ten times taller at the shoulder, so why couldn't it do anything to overpower him? This was all very, very physically wrong...and not wrong like when Pinkie did something that seemed to defy physics, this was much worse than that! His skeletal and muscular structure shouldn't have been able to withstand that impact while the hard stone cracked beneath him. And even if it could there was no way his shoulder should've been able to remain in place with such a jarring blow. What was his world of Heuco Mundo like for him to be able to do something like that!?

"He really _is_ a monster..." she whispered in disbelief.

"Worse than that," Rainbow Dash stated, unable to turn away from what she was seeing.

They all immediately remembered how Ulquiorra had said he was the smallest of the Espada. And yet his small stature was proving to be more than the dragon could deal with. If he could do that all on his own then none of them wanted to see what the largest of Espada could do in a similar situation!

Worse yet. In addition to being the smallest of the Espada Ulquiorra claimed he was only the _fourth_ strongest of the Espada. That meant where he came from there were three others even stronger than he was right now. And if that was the case it was a truly terrifying through to give consideration to.

"As I have said you're incapable of harming me," Ulquiorra stated calmly, showing no visible signs of exertion at keeping the dragon's fist above him. "Simply by looking at you I can measure your strength. No matter how hard you may try to do so you'll never succeed at physically overpowering me. Your best and only course of action would be to leave the caves now. If you don't do so then I'll kill you..."

Whether it was because the dragon comprehended his words and took offense to them, or simply because it had become frustrated at the display of strength in its opponent Ulquiorra would never know what had triggered its rage. All he knew was that the ensuing roar in response to his statement was deafening. From what he could tell of the dragon's detectable levels of reiatsu and its increasing density it was preparing to direct its full fury against him. And based on these new readings this fight _could_ indeed prove to be quite difficult.

It was safe to say that the shit was about to hit the fan.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Fifteen**

_Some days it simply didn't pay to be a princess._

_She looked up from rubbing the bridge of her nose to see Ulquiorra still standing there and waiting patiently, still with his hand bound by her magic. She decided it was best to release him right now as she thought over matters. What was she to do?_

_Luna's scowl could almost be felt from where she stood. That wasn't helping matters any._

_"You understand how difficult a position this is for me?" she asked._

_"I understand that you still don't trust me. A wise policy all things considered," Ulquiorra replied as he pocketed his free hand. "At the same time I have no reason to trust you yet I take you at your word that I will remain safe under your watch," he continued._

_Celestia went back to rubbing the bridge of her nose, growing more frustrated by the minute. At one point she actually considered Ulquiorra to be a breath of fresh air, the break from royal decorum that he brought with him and such. But right now he was just another source of her growing headache and the day court wasn't even open yet._

_"If I agree to this then you'll be under the direct command of Twilight while on the journey. You'll follow her orders like you would my own. If she tells you to do something I expect you to do it, understand?" she finally asked._

_"Dear sister! Surely thou art not serious! Thee intends to let him go along?" Luna asked in disbelief._

_"Ulquiorra raises several good points that're worth addressing," Celestia replied and materialized a scroll of parchment, a quill and an inkwell before quickly writing out a note and levitating it over for Ulquiorra to take. "Because of the severity of this situation I'm extending to you a limited reprieve from the rules established two days ago. You may proceed to Ponyville but your escort will be Twilight and her friends. Your role will be limited strictly to observational purposes only and won't involve combat. You're not to attack the dragon and are ordered to let Fluttershy handle the matter. And don't assume that I won't be aware of what's going on while you're away. Are we understood?" she asked._

_"Indeed," Ulquiorra replied._

_"Excellent. Once you arrive in Ponyville deliver this note to Twilight, it should sufficiently explain the situation to her and she can take it from there," she explained._

_"Understood."_

_At that Ulquiorra disappeared from view, leaving nothing behind but two very confused Princesses and the fading sound of a booming echo of static._

_Luna blinked and looked around. "We hath seen that technique once before when Ulquiorra Cifer first appeared in the dining hall, but we have not an understanding of what it is," she stated._

_"You're not alone, dear sister," Celestia replied, already beginning to wonder if she'd done the right thing._

As she sat on her throne and officially closed the day court, Celestia couldn't stop thinking about how this morning had begun and the events that followed. She was allowing a strange being free reign of her kingdom in the company of the Elements of Harmony and expecting him to abide by the honor system. She must've been out of her mind to consent to such a setup! And yet she had, just as she'd trusted the girls to reform Discord without her help. She must be getting senile in her old age, that was the only thing that made any sense. That's why she'd been worrying the entire day and unable to give the nobles the proper amount of attention that they were deserving.

Right now she was standing on the balcony, letting out a frustrated sigh as she observed the mountains in the distance. The smoke had subsided but she hadn't yet seen any dragon leaving; she wasn't entirely certain what to think about that just yet.

She could feel her sister approaching the throne room, obviously to check up on the situation. She'd been the most opposed to allowing Ulquiorra to leave with the girls due to her anger with his failure to recognize royal decorum. But even she had eventually seen the benefit that could be had if things progressed smoothly.

"You're up early," Celestia commented as she heard Luna's hooves clopping against the marble floor.

"We couldst not rest properly and eventually gave up any hope of a restful day's sleep," Luna explained as she approached and yawned. "What dost thou know of the situation with Ulquiorra Cifer?"

"Not much I'm afraid. They've finally reached the cave and the smoke is no longer pouring out but that's the extent of it. I'm waiting to see what happens next," Celestia explained.

Luna was silent and took up watching with her sister, standing up on her hind legs to look over the balcony railing properly and observe the distance for any trace of activity. Why were they not using the royal telescope in this situation when it was vastly superior? It wasn't even as if it was inaccessible at the moment but rather a mere five feet away from where they now stood!

A distant roar could be heard coming all the way from the mountains to the east. That really didn't sound good at this point, a roar indicated aggression and hostility. What was going on to warrant such? Had Ulquiorra Cifer interfered and not allowed Fluttershy to do what she had been assigned to do?

"Might we ask thee a question our dear sister?" Luna finally asked.

"Of course," Celestia replied and nodded.

"Why art thou standing naked in the throne room?"

* * *

The roar of the dragon was the most horrible thing anypony could recall ever hearing in their lives, the horrors magnified as the sounds reverberated off the cave walls and shook the entire ground. The horrors were magnified to an even greater degree than this already terrifying fact as large chunks of rock began to dislodge from the cave's ceiling, with stalactites falling like arrows and impaling themselves in the ground all around them.

"Cave in!"

It was an entirely redundant scream of terror but Twilight honestly couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment. Immediately her friends hunkered around her for safety as her horn glowed and she threw up a forcefield to avoid them being crushed to death, debris falling and bouncing off of it like large hailstones in a massive thunderstorm.

The commotion outside the cave was nearly deafening even behind the forcefield as the dragon was immediately on the move, throwing out huge clouds of dust and loose gravel as well as larger debris as it scrambled out the front of the cave, its massive wings unfolding as it took to the skies.

"At leas' the big fella's leavin'," Applejack finally spoke up as the cave in seemed to stop once the roaring did.

"Thank Celestia. Let's see about getting out of here before that dreaded beast comes back," Rarity added.

Twilight nodded in agreement and dropped her forcefield so they could leave. However before she even took a single step she noticed something; the sheer emptiness of the cave. Where was Ulquiorra? He'd been holding the dragon at bay single-handed -and in the most literal sense of the strange word she'd ever seen displayed no less- before the cave in had begun and...

"Ulquiorra!" she shouted as the realization finally came to her like a ton of bricks...or a grand piano being dropped from a Cloudsdale moving van. "The dragon's got him!"

Nopony would doubt that Ulquiorra was strong, and he'd been holding his own quite admirably, but now the dragon was out in the open where it had a greater range of movement. The Arrancar's small body and speed was no longer the advantage in this situation. There was a shared moment of terror at Twilight's words, as the horrors of the possibilities quickly sank into their minds at to what could be happening to him right now. Possibilities they didn't want to consider.

"No bucking way!"

There was no time for procrastination or discussion in this matter, they didn't have an _hour_ to waste talking it over. Without so much as another word Rainbow Dash took off, flying out of the cave in the direction the dragon had headed, her tail flapping about wildly and uncontrollably as she did, blowing past the smouldering remains of fire and paying no attention to what her friends were saying behind her in protest of her actions. She was a pony on a mission right now and that mission waited for nopony! Unlike the others she was _ready_ as she hurtled out of the cave mouth.

She was fast. She was incredibly fast! She was un-bucking-believably fast! She was the fasting bucking pegasus in all of Equestria and everypony knew it!

That said though, even she would admit the dragon had a considerable lead on her, and despite its massive size those huge wings were flapping hard enough to cover a significant distance in a short amount of time. She found herself having to flap her feathery wings as hard as she could just trying to catch up with it. Even as fast as she could move, it was still going to take at least an entire minute just to get in range to see the large ridges on the dragon's tail. That was a fact she didn't like to admit.

"You're not getting away from me!" she shouted, not that it did much good at either helping her actually catch up to the dragon or distract it in its course. She'd be surprised if she could even be heard at this distance.

She was getting closer. It was taking everything she had just to avoid being left behind but she was doing it. As she got closer she could definitely make out part of Ulquiorra's frame sticking out of the dragon's tightly clenched claw. Now she was presented with a difficult question; even if she could catch up with the dragon -which she definitely could, no doubt about it- how was she ever going to rescue Ulquiorra? It wasn't like she could pry the dragon's claws open and snatch him up, she wasn't _that_ strong. There had to be something she could do.

She fell back in her pursuit and took to a higher altitude before pursuing after the dragon again, beating her wings with all her might to pick up the necessary speed to gain what ground she'd lost, and to pull off the only maneuver that would likely work in this case against such a huge beast. The only thing she was thankful for right now was how the dragon was flying in a relatively straight line, that would make it much easier to do this.

No time for hesitation, now was the time for being _strong._ The air erupted with a violent multi-colored explosion as her Sonic Rainboom was detonated in her approach, her trajectory hurtling her straight into the side of the dragon's back at unbelievable speeds.

The force of the impact against the scaly ribcage was significant as she ricocheted off to the side, spinning wildly out of control and off in a tangent, but it was enough to leave the dragon stunned and grasping the impacted area with its free claw, the hold on its quarry loosening enough that Ulquiorra fell free as their paths of travels diverged and became significantly different, the dragon continually flying away while he was in free fall toward the ground.

"Gotcha!"

At least he was until he came to a sudden jerking halt. Ulquiorra soon found himself free from the dragon's claw and in a much more awkward position, the cyan pegasi's forelegs wrapped around his trunk under his arms and keeping him from falling any further to the ground.

"Never fear, your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash is here!" she stated with a sense of triumph.

"You deployed your Sonic Rainboom technique against the dragon," he observed.

"That I did, U.C.," she stated proudly as her wings continued flapping to keep them in the air.

"Why?"

Her wings nearly stopped beating at the question. Why? He asked why? Was he serious?

"Are you foaling me or something? To rescue your flank from that thing," she pointed out.

"Why?" he repeated, only to be met by another confused noise from Rainbow Dash. "Yesterday you were greatly infuriated with me for not being impressed by the display of your "Sonic Rainboom" technique. Why would you burn through the majority of your mana and leave yourself vulnerable for the purpose of trying to rescue me?" he asked.

"Wha' the hay are you talking about? Did you think I'd just leave you to get devoured or something because you ticked me off earlier?" Rainbow Dash asked him. Was he really serious?

"Correct."

He _was_ serious! Oh Luna!

"Look I don't know what things are like where you come from but here in Equestria that's not how we do things. We don't let ponies -or whatever you are- die just because we're upset at them. That's not what friends do for each other, there's no logic in that," Rainbow Dash explained. "Besides I haven't wowed you yet, I can't let you get eaten before then!"

"You're completely illogical," Ulquiorra stated simply, finding nothing else to make sense in this context.

"Thanks," Rainbow Dash replied, obviously oblivious to the meaning of what he'd just said. "You can thank me later, though, the dragon's coming back and we gotta get outta here!"

True enough the dragon had circled back around and was currently coming toward them, roaring angrily as it flapped its mighty wings and bearing down on them, prepared to unleash the fullest magnitude of its fury.

That is until a boulder came flying out of nowhere and shattered against its head and left it dazed and no longer directly focused on them.

"What the buck?" Rainbow Dash asked. She'd been prepared to engage in whatever fancy aerial maneuvers were needed to get them to safety, but the sudden intrusion by a rock left her confused.

Another boulder followed and slammed into the dragon's ribcage on its injured side and made its flinch in pain.

* * *

"Direct hit Twilight!" Applejack called as she looked through the binoculars, only to have them yanked away from her by Rarity's magic.

"Marvelous aim darling. But if you want another bullseye to the head you'll need to adjust your aim three degrees to the right," she explained.

They lacked Rainbow Dash's speed and powers of flight. But that didn't mean they were helpless in the situation. While Rainbow Dash was away making her grand rescue attempt they'd scrambled out of the cave and done the only thing they could think to do; improvise. Which in this case was Twilight magically hurling large stones at the dragon as hard and as fast as she could, Rarity providing latitude and longitude for each shot, and Pinkie fetching the boulders to be used for ammunition purposes.

Even if they couldn't cause any serious injury to the dragon at this distance they could at least provide a distraction to keep him from attacking Ulquiorra and Rainbow Dash.

"On it!" Twilight replied as she grasped another boulder and hefted it for another salvo, not even noticing the roar in the distance.

"Nopony gets away with hurting our friends! Not even if they're a dragon!" Pinkie yelled as she shoved another boulder into place.

"He's comin' back ya'll!" Applejack suddenly warned as she saw the dragon's figure getting bigger. Their distraction was working alright, just a little too well as it was now completely ignoring the other two and coming back for them!

* * *

Another boulder caught the dragon in the neck just below the jawbone, making it reach up and grasp its injured area. And from the sounds it was making it was easy to tell that it was very displeased with being pelted.

"Do your "friends" actually believe they can stop the dragon with such a petty assault?" Ulquiorra asked as another rock came hurtling into view and smashing against the dragon's shoulder.

"Beats me but it gives us a chance to get out of here," Rainbow Dash pointed out. She was just about to do that when the dragon unleashed another angry roar and took off flying again... headed right back towards her friends! "Horse apples!"

"Are you able to catch up to the dragon with me in tow before it reaches the others?" Ulquiorra asked her.

"...No..." Rainbow Dash replied slowly, not wanting to admit the fact. Her rescue attempt had drained most of her mana and trying to keep herself and him up in the sky wasn't doing her any good. She wouldn't admit it but she had her doubts at to whether or not she'd be able to catch up to the dragon even before it reached her friends. She was just about to ask Ulquiorra what he had in mind, when much to her surprise he did his boom thing and disappeared right out of her forelegs and out of sight. "How'd he do that?" she asked in confusion. And the better question was where had he gone?

Nevermind! That was a question for another time, right now there were more important issues at hoof like trying to rescue her friends!

* * *

There was a great deal of panic back at the cave as the five tried to figure out what to do. The dragon was coming in fast and there was nowhere safe to hide that they couldn't be found. It could easily tear up the cave looking for them and their legs would never carry them far enough away in time to avoid being caught.

"Ah think we bit off more than we can chew," Applejack stated as the dragon got closer. It was only a few hundred feet away right now and that distance was closing quickly.

And then the last thing any of them ever expect to see happen actually happened; Ulquiorra had appeared in front of the dragon and stopped it in its tracks. Actually that was an understatement as what truly happened was something they couldn't properly comprehend.

The idea behind the sonido they more or less understood but that was as far as it went. What they didn't understand was how he'd managed to sonido in front of the dragon, in midair no less, and had halted the dragon by using both hands to press against its snout and slow its progression to a standstill, his feet kicking up clouds of what looked like dust in the process as if he'd slowly ground to a halt against the hard stone of the mountain.

He was literally standing in midair right now, hundreds of feet above any solid ground, and somehow generating enough force to overcome the thrust of the dragon's wings and stop it from advancing any further, a mere fifty feet away from the cliff's edge the others stood upon. A feat that was supposed to be absolutely impossible to pull off.

So just how in the nine pits of Tartarus had that just been possible!?

"Did he just..." Rarity asked but was unable to finish the sentence, the entire display simply too unbelievable.

"He _stopped_ the dragon," Twilight answered, completely dumbstruck.

"In midair!" Applejack added in utter disbelief. Had Ulquiorra done the whole thing on the ground it would've been impossible enough to believe, but this was like impossible squared or something.

The dragon seemed to share their confusion, going cross-eyed to look at Ulquiorra as he stood there, presenting an immovable object.

"I believe I've adequately explained that I cannot and will not allow any harm to come to these ponies," Ulquiorra calmly stated as he drew his left hand back and brought a fist down firmly on the dragon's snout.

Under the best of circumstances, if the pony in question was really strong, this act would cause the dragon momentary pain and disorient them. But these were _not_ such circumstances, Ulquiorra was no pony, and the dragon wasn't disoriented. Rather the dragon was now howling in intense pain and falling out of the sky from the force of the blow.

Being around Pinkie long enough made one comfortable in the fact that things could happen that nopony could adequately explained. They just accepted it for whatever it was. But that said, nothing Pinkie could conceivably pull off could ever prepare them for what they were seeing right now. Were there any laws of physics that Ulquiorra wasn't currently violating? Defying gravity, pound for pound generating far more force than could even be conceived as possible, withstanding hundreds of degrees worth of heat without suffering any burns, moving faster than the eye could see, and single hoofedly beating the snot out of a fully grown adult dragon!

Twilight's mind was running wild with more questions than ever before, more than she ever thought possible. The things Ulquiorra was doing right now as he faced off against the dragon couldn't be explained no matter how hard she tried to. She was certain there was some logical, physical, scientific explanation for it all, something that could be found somewhere and broken down into easy to understand facts that would all make sense if they were really applied.

But right now she wasn't coming up with a single one of those things as she was far too busy watching everything unfold before her, just like the rest of her friends.

"How can any_body_ be so unbelievably strong?" Rarity finally asked, being the first to find her voice. The entire display was unlike anything she could ever remember seeing before. Not even the fantasy novels she sometimes borrowed from Twilight talked about something like this, it was simply too unbelievable to be taken seriously.

"Sure beats the tar outta me," Applejack replied, "can ya imagine what it'd be like if he worked at Sweet Apple Acres? There wouldn' be an apple left hangin' by the end o' the first day o' applebuckin' season!"

Having recovered from the blow the dragon was making its way back toward them with a vengeance. It was out for blood and revenge and was going to tear through anything in its path without discretion.

"Look out Ulqy that big mean dragon's coming back!" Pinkie called out loudly.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, not even looking back at who spoke or looking down to confirm the facts. Instead he opted to sonido out of view and back into view in front of the dragon's eyes. No words were exchanged as he raised his right foot and forcefully stomped right between its eyes, not even bothering to take his hands out of his pockets in the process.

* * *

For the life of her Rainbow Dash couldn't properly wrap her head around what she was seeing during her approach. First he'd disappeared out of her forelegs and apparently traveled between there and her friends faster than even she could move, and then it looked like he was beating the crud out of the dragon all by himself. He was super fast _and_ super strong? What was this dude made from, dark matter or something? How could he send a fully grown dragon into screams of pain with a single kick when even _she_ couldn't do that?

And didn't he say yesterday that she was faster than he was? What was up with that?

As she made her way back to her friends she didn't know whether to be seriously jealous, or wowed by the sheer awesomeness of it all. He was kicking more flank than she ever believed possible.

"RD ya feather brained idjit get outta the way!" she heard Applejack yell as she got closer. Right now it really did sound like a good idea, the skies were too dangerous right now and she made a beeline for the group figuring it was safest with them.

"Am I really seeing what I think I'm seeing?" Rainbow Dash asked as she touched down, wincing at the sight of Ulquiorra actually slapping the dragon right across its beak with enough force to move its head to the side.

"That and a whole lot more," Twilight replied and nodded, cringing at the sound of a loud crunch as Ulquiorra dove toward the dragon and kicked it in the lower jaw, making its head snap back as it tumbled backwards. "That's gonna hurt in the morning..."

From their vantage point it didn't look like the dragon was in any position to be getting back up again. And it seemed Ulquiorra had reached the same conclusion as he turned and walked -on thin air no less- back to the group and stepped down onto the ground next to them.

For a long moment there wasn't a single sound coming from the ponies as they just stood there in stunned silence. Then after a long moment he was bombarded with questions and statements from all sides about everything they'd witnessed in the course of just a few minutes. How could he overpower a fully grown male dragon? How could he fly without wings? How could he walk on air? He could he withstand the dragon's fire? How did he get to be so awesome? And so on, and so on...and so on... coming from five of the present ponies, each of them trying to gain an advantage at being heard and hopefully getting their questions answered.

Pomf!

His attention slowly turned to Rainbow Dash as she stood there with her wings fully deployed and pointing upward, her primary feathers extended in a manner that didn't look particularly comfortable to be in. Slowly all eyes turned to her as she appeared uncomfortable with this development.

"Really Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked in an incredulous manner at what she was seeing.

Rainbow laughed nervously. "What can I say? He's...awesome..." she tried to explain.

The significance of the entire display was lost on Ulquiorra, to the point he was willing to ask Twilight Sparkle to elaborate. However before he could even get the first word out their was a roar and a rush of wind behind them as the dragon once more came around, swooping up the side of the cliff and shooting over their heads at great speed.

"He jus' don' quit!" Applejack stated as she held onto her hat while looking up, only to go pale at the sight of the dragon preparing to unleash a massive fireball. "Hit the dirt!"

The ponies scattered from the scene as the fire came. Ulquiorra responded to the incoming assault by grasping the hilt of his zanpakutō and spinning one hundred and eighty degrees as he unsheathed it, a massive trail of his reiatsu following after the arching sweep and meeting with the fire, before cutting through the fire and dissipating the path all the way back to the dragon's mouth and slamming into the back of its throat.

To Twilight and her friends who saw everything it looked like he'd just overpowered the dragon's flames with nothing more than a single swing of his sword, the force of the swing traveling all the way back up to the dragon's mouth and causing its fire to peter out. As Princess Luna would say the awesomeness had just been doubled... Or at least that's what Rainbow Dash thought she'd say. To Twilight it was just another thing to add to the list of questions that needed to be answered.

Another burst of sonido and Ulquiorra appeared in front of the dragon, his left arm drawn back before his fist was slammed into the dragon's chest at full force and resulting in a very dull, very loud thud from the contact that could easily be heard from where they stood.

The dragon let out a loud groan of pain that suggested this had hurt it far more than any of the previous attacks, its front claws drifting to its midsection as it lost altitude and more or less crash landed on the hard ground in a collapsed fashion, groaning and panting heavily as if the wind had been thoroughly knocked right out of it.

"Did you girls see what I just saw?" Pinkie asked curiously.

"That Mr. Cifer fella sucker punching the dragon an' bringin' it down? Eeyup," Applejack replied.

"I don't think it's over yet, girls, look," Twilight stated and pointed as Ulquiorra disappeared from view and reappeared in front of the dragon, calmly resheathing his zanpakutō before speaking again.

"I grow tired of demonstrating the fact that you can't harm me. I have given you multiple opportunities to leave of your own volition but you've continued to respond in an overly aggressive manner. I'm unwilling to extend you anymore chances. Your very existence threatens the existence and wellbeing of countless others. And it is for that reason that you're going to die now," Ulquiorra explained to the downed dragon and extended his right hand, a ball of green energy forming at his fingertip.

The others had started to emerge from where they'd hidden in order to get a better view of what was going to happen next. They'd all heard the talk back in the cave but they'd assumed it was just a boast. But now with all the facts taken into account it no longer looked like that, it looked like he was not only serious but quite capable of doing such. Despite the facts and what they'd seen so far this idea horrified them.

Equally horrifying with the eerie green-hued glow the technique was casting over the immediate area and the shadows it was casting on the dragon's face, something about it was deeply unsettling and disturbing.

"Hey dude come on, the dragons' down for the count, it's not like he can get back up and attack again," Rainbow Dash stated in disbelief. Ulquiorra had already won, did he really need to press the matter further when it was already so obvious? She didn't even know exactly what he was doing but she knew it couldn't be good.

"Ulquiorra stop! What're you doing!?" Twilight shouted as she galloped over to him, the others not far behind her.

"What Princess Celestia herself will not do," Ulquiorra replied calmly and discharged his Cero at the dragon.

He missed.

His aim had been true and the dragon should've been reduced to a smouldering corpse. But instead his Cero was fired off toward the horizon as Fluttershy held onto his wrist with a single hoof and wasn't letting it anywhere near the dragon. She had spent this entire mission being quiet, scared, staying behind and doing everything else to convey her fear of the situation. He assumed her fear of dragon's outweighed her care for animals and she wouldn't have interfered. It appeared he assumed wrong as she was now doing everything in her power to actually _defend_ the dragon from harm, including interfering with his Cero's trajectory.

Three things immediately came to his mind. The first being Fluttershy's speed and how she had managed to launch herself between him and the dragon just before the discharge of his Cero. He assumed her speed was enough to rival that of Rainbow Dash if she truly tried.

The second was something that seemed pointless currently but couldn't be ignored; while most of the ponies he'd encountered didn't quite come up to his waist at the shoulder, once they reared up on their hind legs the difference between their height and his wasn't even a full foot.

The third was her eyes. The look in her eyes as she stared straight into his was... intimidating. They were filled with a barely restrained rage the likes of which he hadn't seen since...

_"...I see. No mercy eh?" Ulquiorra asked rhetorically as he looking up toward the Shinigami that stood atop his head, a bright red Cero forming between his horns and aimed directly at his face. "How very Hollow-like."_

_Despite his best efforts he'd been incapable of defeating Ichigo Kurosaki and protecting the safety of Las Noches. Through a means he didn't understand the Shinigami had managed to survive having a hole blown through his chest via his Cero Oscuras technique and now stood before him -and on top of him- in triumph. He himself laid defeated on his ground, cut through from hip the shoulder, one of his horns severed and helpless to do anything other than look up at his own impending death._

_"I don't care. I have no reason to live now that you've beaten me," he said bitterly as he watched the Cero being charged, his doom growing closer and closer by the second. "Do it."_ **

...since he'd been Cero'd to the face by that brat.

How ironic.

"How _dare_ you?" Fluttershy asked, oblivious as his Cero passed by her and disrupted the flow of her mane, the beam having come dangerously close to one of her flapping wings. "How DARE you?" she demanded as she stared at him, trying to burn a hole straight through him with her piercing gaze. "What gives you the right to decide who lives and who dies? How dare you try and kill something that can't even stand up against you? Can't you see that he can't even stand on his own feet, much less defend himself?"

It was ludicrous. In his time in Hueco Mundo he had stared down many who challenged him. His strength was recognized and subject to both respect and fear. His gaze was enough that even Princess Celestia _and_ Princess Luna were uncomfortable when staring him in the eyes and they'd attempt to focus elsewhere. And here he was, being stared down by the meek yellow pegasus who was easily the weakest in the group and finding himself unable to shake the feeling that _he_ was the proverbial ant underneath the magnifying glass and being lectured.

The fact that she'd managed to even move his arm was amazing and most curious. Even more curious was how her reiatsu level had suddenly jumped when she'd intervened, and even now it was increasing dramatically as she spoke to him.

"All this poor dragon wanted to do was take a nap, that doesn't warrant death!" she stated, before turning her attention to the dragon itself. "And you! I can understand how badly you want a nap and how tired you are, but you can't nap here! You need to find somewhere else that isn't so close to a populated area where ponies and little animals are going to be breathing your smoke for the next hundred years. Now go on and shoo like we asked you too earlier. This whole mess could've been avoided if you'd just been a little more understanding the first time around," she scolded.

Ulquiorra watched -in great disbelief- as the dragon seemed to heed the words of Fluttershy and slowly stood itself back up on shaky legs, giving its wings a few cursory flaps before taking off into the sky again and setting off toward the east, far away from their current position until it was nothing more than a tiny dot in the sky.

His attention slowly drifted back to what was in front of him; namely a very pissed off looking Fluttershy, still glaring at him.

"It would seem Princess Celestia's trust in you was not misplaced," he commented, uncertain of what else he could say on the situation. What really _was_ appropriate to say in this situation?


	17. Chapter 17

The plan was quite simple and easy to follow even if the instructions weren't presented on a full color spread sheet. The dragon was awake and aware of his surroundings. Ulquiorra would approach the mouth of the cave, evaluate the situation, and provide a distraction while Twilight Sparkle and the others approached the long way around. From there they would teleport into the cave near the back, and approach from behind where they would face the least amount of danger, comparatively speaking.

His sonido had allowed him to approach and enter the cave undetected, only to come face to face with the dragon as if it'd been waiting for him the entire time. From what he could see in the dim light it was a considerably sized dragon, easily the size of a Gillian-class Hollow regardless of its crouched position. Its frame was as heavily muscled as it was scarred, suggesting a male of considerable experience in combat, its skin dark in coloration, and a row of bony points running down it head and along the spines like a mohawk, its golden eyes glaring down at him as it scowled through the darkness. From where he stood it appeared to have a quadrupedal frame, but he couldn't rule out the possibility of bipedal capabilities; the unicorn Lyra Hearstrings had demonstrated the significance of that fact yesterday when she'd shown how she could balance on her hind legs and even walk about with only minor difficulty for several minutes.

"I wasn't expecting one so large," was all Ulquiorra could think to say. He was operating under the assumption that all dragons weren't simply mindless beasts in the same manner as Hollows -what with his interactions with Spike being all there was to go on so far, and the various historical accounts of some members of the species displaying considerable intelligence- and the only way to test that out was by talking to it and seeing how it responded.

The dragon continued glaring at him, blinking a few times and uttering a low growl, the noxious sulfuric fumes from his breath blowing past him. Much as he hated to, he had to agree with Rainbow Dash on the matter; the dragon's breath truly did stink.

Reaching out with his pesquisa he could feel the others approaching, slowly but surely getting into position. This would require some stalling in order to pull off properly. Unfortunately procrastinating wasn't one of his strong points. Continual talking to one that wasn't responsive wasn't something he was particularly skilled in; Princess Luna was better suited for that.

"I don't pretend to know your reasons for venturing so far into the territory of Equestria. Nor is it of any interest to me. However I am under orders to remove you as your smoke poses a serious health hazard to the ponies that live in the town below," Ulquiorra explained calmly. The dragon simply continued looking at him and blinking. Perhaps the vocal approach wasn't the best way to go. Perhaps the best course of action was to engage in a stare down and see which one of them would yield first. Would fury overshadow emptiness? Or would primal aggression suddenly become lacking when it realized the void of emptiness was staring right back at it?

"E-excuse me...sir?"

Ulquiorra was the first to blink at the voice. According to his pesquisa the six were now behind the dragon, near the back of the cave and slowly making their way forward. He'd focused so much attention on staring at the dragon to try and distract it he'd failed to notice the teleportation into the cave. Now though, he was aware of Fluttershy's close proximity as she tried to address the dragon with whatever measure of courage she could manage. The dragon seemed equally aware of their presence as he turned away from the stare down to face the new voice.

"Sir...I know that you're really tired and all, and that all you really want to do is settle in for a long nap...but could you please...m-maybe find somewhere else to sleep? You see you're awfully close to Ponyville and a lot of ponies down below are-"

The dragon didn't allow Fluttershy to finish whatever she was saying and cut her off by violently -and loudly- roaring directly in her face, sending her flying backwards and crashing against the cave wall along with her friends who were unfortunately in the path with her, the six of them each slamming against the stone before falling to the ground.

That hurt a lot! All six of them were groaning and in pain from being tossed about so easily, each of their bodies more or less crumpling limply to the ground and in a heap on top of each other.

"That went very bad," Rainbow Dash commented as her vision was swimming right now. How could an animal resist Fluttershy's nature? It didn't make sense to her, she'd managed to tame Discord and make him good, so how could she not do the same with this dragon? None of it made any sense!

Ulquiorra wasn't surprised to see things proceed the way they had, he hadn't been expecting anything resembling a success from the meek pegasus addressing the dragon. However being right wasn't his primary concern right now, but rather the aggressive posture the dragon was taking towards them. That simply wouldn't do. Regardless of what Princess Celestia might have ordered him to do on this mission, it was no longer of any importance. There was a much bigger issue at hand and in need of being addressed.

* * *

"Get your flank out of my face!"

"Move your leg!"

"You're squishing me!"

Things had gone from unfavorable to just plain bad in such short order that nopony could tell just what went wrong. The dragon had not only completely ignored Fluttershy's attempts at managing it, it went on the offensive and blew them out of the way with a single roar, leaving them in a pile on the cave floor, disoriented and trying to untangle themselves from one another.

"Real great plan Twilight! Whoever heard of sneaking up on a dragon?" Rainbow Dash asked sarcastically, unaware that the dragon was no longer paying any attention to Ulquiorra and instead was making its way over to them, a hungry look in its eyes as it licked its lips.

At least that's how it was until something caused them to stop fighting, a loud commotion erupting above them. They looked up just in time to see something shatter against the dragon's head in a cloud of smoke, a look of surprise washing over its face as the one of hunger was washed away.

"I can't allow you to do that," they heard Ulquiorra say. Looking back as best they could, they saw him standing with his right arm partially extended, some sort of red static energy dissipating around his hand and extended finger. "I have no personal care for their wellbeing. But I'm under orders not to allow any harm to come to them."

The dragon slowly turned away from them to face the original intruder again, giving them the time needed to untangle themselves and get back on their hooves and to a location that could be considered more secure than where they had been just a moment ago; like behind a chunk of large boulder.

"Cuatro Espada Ulquiorra Cifer. Fourth strongest Espada under the command of Sosuke Aizen. First strongest Espada under the command of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."

The dragon stared down at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra stared up at the dragon. It was another stare down just like a few moments ago. However this time the dragon reacted first by lunging forward and grasping Ulquiorra within its claw and picked him up off the ground, before turning and hurling him against the far wall, the stone cracking from the impact of the sudden stop.

The ponies gasped at what they'd just seen, the entire scene made all the more horrifying as the dragon was heard drawing in a deep, deep breath, and unleashing a torrent of flames that easily engulfed Ulquiorra's entire body before he could react or respond; if such a feat were even possible considering what he'd just been subjected to.

"Ulquiorra!" Twilight shouted in horror at having seen the entire display. He'd just saved them from the dragon only to meet the fate that was meant for them? The utter cruelty of it all! Now she turned to the dragon and was filled with rage over what was lost: someone who had never been blessed with knowing what friendship was, someone who had never known true kindness or what it was like to laugh, someone who was the greatest discovery in all the centuries of Equestria's history! How _dare_ that dragon do something like that?

"Impressive."

At the sound of the voice all eyes turned toward the back of the cave and what remained of the fire and the burning rocks. What should've been present, should've been nothing more than a pile of cinders and soot. But strolling out of the flames at a casual pace was none other than Ulquiorra, looking like he wasn't even singed and merely dusting his jacket off. How was something like that possible? He'd been slammed against the cave wall at an incredible velocity, and taken the full force of the dragon's attack, and he was completely unfazed; he didn't even look like he was suffering from an adrenaline high! The heat of the flames didn't even look like they were causing him discomfort as he simply waltzed past them, his outfit not even burning.

How could something like this have been possible? It defied explanation.

"You nearly managed to singe through my hierro in that attack. I was unaware that a living beast could generate such an intense heat. It is truly applause worthy that you were able to perform such a feat," Ulquiorra said calmly. He then proceeded to do what nopony had ever expected him to do, he clapped. Three very slow and sarcastic claps of his hands before he put them back in his pockets and began walking forward again.

The dragon seemed confused at how such a puny thing had survived being burnt, but that confusion quickly turned to rage as it actually began mocking him with its clapping! Who did this runt think he was!? Letting loose a deafening roar, another stream of fire was let loose and completely engulfed the pale figure.

"Too slow."

From their vantage point the ponies were seeing the whole mess unfold and not believing a second of it. He'd been completely engulfed in pure dragon's breath fire that was known to be able to melt rocks in high enough concentrations. From that he'd emerged unscathed and actually went onto mock the dragon and anger it into attacking. At which point he'd disappeared in a flash of sonido speed and reappeared atop the dragon's head and was currently looking down on it as if with contempt, informing it that it was too slow to keep up with him.

The entire display was something that went completely over their heads. How could such a thing be possible? How could Ulquiorra be showing up such a vicious dragon -vicious enough even Fluttershy couldn't get through to it- and be doing it all in such a casual manner that it was like foal's play? The amount of questions they had just kept adding up, every new display and every new sentence just adding to the mounting pile.

By now even the dragon was aware that something was amiss. Turning its eyes upward as best it could, it could see its quarry perched just atop its head and looking down back at it.

Without further discussion Ulquiorra calmly lifted his left foot and brought it back down fast, stomping on the dragon's head with a loud crack, hard enough to send it toppling to the ground where it slammed its chin into the stone flooring and groaned at the sudden discomfort it was unexpectantly experiencing right now.

Ulquiorra said nothing, settling instead for leaping off of the dragon's head almost casually in nature, landing in front of it and turning around as it groaned, before reaching out with his left hand and grabbing it by the nose, taking hold of the soft tissue situated right between the nostrils.

"You have displayed a limited measure of intelligence. It is likely you are intelligent enough to realize that you're incapable of harming me no matter how hard you try. You should be equally intelligent enough to understand the best course of action is to leave now while you're still able to move under your own power," Ulquiorra calmly explained as he kept his hold on the dragon's nose and tightened it.

To the others it was hard to watch. Ulquiorra was delivering an ultimatum to a monster of a dragon as he held onto its snout with one hand, seemingly trying to stare it down when his head didn't even come up to its nostrils, and bragging that it couldn't do anything to hurt him.

"He's... he's crazy..." Rainbow Dash stated. She was known for being brash, and brazen, and on occasion even a bit crazy. But nothing she'd ever done had come close to this... not even the time she'd kicked the other dragon in the face, at least she could maneuver out of the way if things went south.

The dragon seemed inclined to agree with her statement and violently pulled its snout free from Ulquiorra's hold and roared at him, before pulling back a massive clawed fist and bringing it down and forward right on top of him.

The proper response to such an attack would be to dodge, as anything caught in its path would be reduced to a bloody paste in short order. Ulquiorra however, failed to do so. As the dragon's fist came down on his position, he instead held his left hand upward and caught it on the descent. The act effortlessly stopped its advancement in a full, dead stop, the force of the impact traveling around him and damaging the stone floor in the form of large cracks radiating outward from his feet, and chunks of debris flying in every direction as it gave way to the laws of physics that demanded such.

Fluttershy let out a terrified squeak as debris hit their hiding spot and ducked down. The rest of the ponies not faring much better at what they were seeing.

"That... that jus' ain't possible!" Applejack stated in disbelief as her mouth hung open. "Nopony's strong enough ta do somethin' like that! How can such a scrawny fella pull off somethin' like that?!"

Twilight watched in silence, stunned at just how many things were... wrong... with physics for such a display to be even remotely possible. How could Ulquiorra be displaying more strength than a fully grown dragon despite the sheer differences in their size and mass? The dragon had to weigh more than three hundred times what Ulquiorra did and was easily ten times taller at the shoulder, so why couldn't it do anything to overpower him? This was all very, very physically wrong... and not wrong like when Pinkie did something that seemed to defy physics, this was much worse than that! His skeletal and muscular structure shouldn't have been able to withstand that impact while the hard stone cracked beneath him. And even if it could there was no way his shoulder should've been able to remain in place with such a jarring blow; especially since the dragon had enough room to actually pull its claw back before throwing it forward for greater momentum.

And despite all of that Ulquiorra was indeed standing there, using a single hand to keep the dragon's claw away from him, his face displaying nothing that would indicate he was actually having to exert himself. If anything he looked... bored... like he had nothing to prove and was simply doing what he was doing for the sake of fulfilling some duty bound requirement to display his abilities.

What was his world of Heuco Mundo like for him to be able to do something like that!?

"He really _is_ a monster..." she whispered in disbelief.

"Worse than that," Rainbow Dash stated, unable to turn away from what she was seeing. "Remember what he was saying on the way up here?"

They all immediately remembered how Ulquiorra had said he was the smallest of the Espada. And yet his small stature was proving to be more than the dragon could deal with. If he could do that all on his own then none of them wanted to see what the largest of Espada could do in a similar situation!

And as if that wasn't bad enough on its own, it only got worse the more it was thought on. In addition to being the smallest of the Espada Ulquiorra claimed he was only the _fourth_ strongest of the Espada. That meant where he came from there were three others even stronger than he was right now. And if that was the case it was a truly terrifying thought to give consideration to.

Their attention was suddenly brought back to the display rather than their own horrified thoughts. There was a cracking sound that was distinctly not stone that caught their attention. A closer look revealed that Ulquiorra had caught the dragon's fist on one of the joints of its clawed fist. Was the exertion causing strain on that particular joint for the dragon or was Ulquiorra actually making an effort to crack solid dragon bone with nothing more than a single hand?

"As I have said you're incapable of harming me," Ulquiorra stated calmly, showing no visible signs of exertion at keeping the dragon's fist above him. "Simply by looking at you I can measure your strength. No matter how hard you may try to do so, you'll never succeed at physically overpowering me. Your best and only course of action would be to leave the caves now. If you don't do so then I'll kill you..."

With that he allowed his arm to come lower, bringing the dragon's fist closer to his head, before suddenly thrusting it back upward and causing its arm to fly upward and away from him.

"He... he didn't just do that..." Pinkie stated in surprise. He'd just shrugged off the dragon, tossing its lumbering limb to the side like it was foal's play.

"He _did_," Twilight stated in disbelief.

Whether it was because the dragon comprehended his words and took offense to them, or simply because it had become frustrated at the display of strength in its opponent, Ulquiorra would never know what had triggered its rage. All he knew was that the ensuing roar in response to his statement was deafening. From what he could tell of the dragon's detectable levels of reiatsu and its increasing density it was preparing to direct its full fury against him. And based on these new readings this fight _could_ indeed prove to be quite difficult.

It was safe to say that the shit was about to hit the fan.

The roar of the dragon was the most horrible thing anypony could recall ever hearing in their lives, the horrors magnified as the sounds reverberated off the cave walls and shook the entire ground. The horrors were magnified to an even greater degree than this already terrifying fact, as large chunks of rock began to dislodge from the cave's ceiling, with stalactites falling like arrows and impaling themselves in the ground all around them.

"Cave in!"

It was an entirely redundant scream of terror but Twilight honestly couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment. Immediately her friends hunkered around her for safety as her horn glowed and she threw up a forcefield to avoid them being crushed to death, debris falling and bouncing off of it like large hailstones in a massive thunderstorm.

Ulquiorra observed the entire scene unfolding around him. The longer he drew this out the longer the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were put at risk of being killed by debris rather than the dragon itself. This location was hardly desirable for such a fight to be carried out. Something drastic needed to be done and quickly.

In a burst of sondio he appeared behind the dragon close to the mouth of the cave and discharged his Bala right into its back. The roar of anger halted as the dragon turned to face him.

* * *

The commotion inside the cave was nearly deafening even behind the forcefield and enough to drive them to try and protect themselves. They didn't even notice as the dragon's roar immediately died down, only for it to start up again. The commotion coming further from them near the outside of the cave was just as bad as it'd been as far in as they were due to the reverberations. The entire ordeal was rendered all the more frightening as the dragon was immediately on the move, throwing out huge clouds of dust and loose gravel as well as larger debris as it scrambled out the front of the cave, its massive wings unfolding as it took to the skies.

And then silence. After a long moment more silence. It was far too quite for any dragon to be present. Hesitantly they all stood back up and looked around, finding the cave absent of any signs of the dragon still being there.

"Looks like Mr. Cifer got the dragon ta get moseyin' on along all by 'imself," Applejack finally spoke up, the cave in seeming to have come to a complete stop once the roaring did the same.

"Thank Celestia. Let's see about getting out of here before that dreaded beast comes back," Rarity added.

Twilight nodded in agreement and dropped her forcefield so they could leave. However before she even took a single step she noticed something; the sheer emptiness of the cave. Whereas the others had been looking for the dragon her attention had been focused on something else; something much smaller in detail. Where exactly was Ulquiorra? He'd been holding the dragon at bay single-handed -and in the most literal sense of the strange word she'd ever seen displayed no less- before the cave in had begun and...

"Ulquiorra!" she shouted as the realization finally came to her like a ton of bricks... or a grand piano being dropped from a Cloudsdale moving van. "The dragon's got him!"

"Oh no," Fluttershy squeaked in terror.

Nopony would doubt that Ulquiorra was strong, and he'd been holding his own quite admirably, but now the dragon was out in the open where it had a greater range of movement instead of bunched up into a -comparatively speaking- small ball appropriate for a long nap. The Arrancar's small body and speed was no longer the advantage in this situation. There was a shared moment of terror at Twilight's words, as the horrors of the possibilities quickly sank into their minds at to what could be happening to him right now. Possibilities they didn't want to actually consider as they were all far too gruesome. Being devoured was only the beginning of such horrible possible thoughts.

"He's a goner," Applejack gulped. That dragon was already long gone by now and if it had a hold of him there wasn't a single bucking thing they'd be able to do about it.

"There's no way in _Tartarus_ he is!" Rainbow Dash objected loudly and deployed her wings.

"Rainbow Dash, wait!" Twilight stated. Was she seriously going to try and-

"No bucking way!"

There was no time for procrastination or discussion in this matter, they didn't have an _hour_ to waste talking it over. Without so much as another word Rainbow Dash took off, flying out of the cave in the direction the dragon had headed, her tail flapping about wildly and uncontrollably as she did, blowing past the smouldering remains of fire and paying no attention to what her friends were saying behind her in protest of her actions. She was a pony on a mission right now and that mission waited for nopony! Unlike the others she was actually _ready_ for action as she hurtled out of the cave mouth.

Locating the dragon in flight was easy, it was far too big to possibly miss. Immediately she set her sights on it and followed in pursuit, her tail flicking about wildly as the wind blew over and across her lean frame as she flapped furiously.

She was fast.

She was incredibly fast!

She was un-bucking-believably fast! She was the fasting bucking pegasus in all of Equestria and everypony knew it!

That said though, even _she_ would admit the dragon had a considerable lead on her, and despite its massive size those huge wings were flapping hard enough to cover a significant distance in a short amount of time. It defied common sense that something as large and heavy as it could possibly be so far ahead of her in just the course of a single minute. She found herself having to flap her feathery wings as hard as she could just trying to catch up with it. Even as fast as she could move, it was still going to take at least an entire minute just to get in range to see the large ridges on the dragon's tail. That was a fact she didn't like to admit.

"You're not getting away from me!" she shouted, not that it did much good at either helping her actually catch up to the dragon or distract it from its present course, whatever it might be. She'd honestly be surprised if she could even be heard at this distance with the wind blowing back in her face.

She was getting closer. It was taking everything she had just to avoid being left behind but she was doing it. As she got closer she could definitely make out part of Ulquiorra's frame sticking out of the dragon's tightly clenched claw and confirming his actual location. But now that she'd verified the fact, she was presented with a difficult question; even if she could catch up with the dragon -which she definitely could, no doubt about it- how was she ever going to rescue Ulquiorra? It wasn't like she could pry the dragon's claws open and snatch him up, she wasn't _that_ strong. There had to be something she could do.

And then a light bulb clicked on and got her thought process going again.

She fell back in her pursuit and took to a higher altitude before pursuing after the dragon again, beating her wings with all her might to pick up the necessary speed to gain what ground she'd lost, and to pull off the only maneuver that would likely work in this case against such a huge beast. The only thing she was thankful for right now was how the dragon was flying in a relatively straight line, that would make it much easier to do this.

No time for hesitation, now was the time for being _strong._

The air erupted with a violent multi-colored explosion as her Sonic Rainboom was detonated in her approach, her trajectory hurtling her straight into the side of the dragon's back at unbelievable speeds.

The force of the impact against the scaly ribcage was significant as she ricocheted off to the side, spinning wildly out of control and off in a tangent, but it was enough to leave the dragon stunned and grasping the impacted area with its free claw, the hold on its quarry loosening enough that Ulquiorra fell free as their paths of travels diverged and became significantly different, the dragon continually flying away while he was in free fall toward the ground.

"Gotcha!"

At least he was until he came to a sudden jerking halt. Ulquiorra soon found himself free from the dragon's claw and in a much more awkward position; the cyan pegasi's forelegs wrapped around his trunk under his arms and keeping him from falling any further to the ground.

"Never fear, your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash is here!" she stated with a sense of triumph at her actions and achievements. She'd just tackled the dragon full force and rescued somepony in need. Today was definitely a good day to be alive!

"You deployed your Sonic Rainboom technique against the dragon," he observed, his tone completely unchanged and inappropriate for what he'd just been through. Not that she noticed really.

"That I did, U.C.," she stated proudly as her wings continued flapping to keep them in the air.

"Why?"

Her wings nearly stopped beating at the question. Why? He asked why? Was he serious?

"Are you foaling me or something? To rescue your flank from that thing," she pointed out.

"Why?" he repeated, only to be met by another confused noise from Rainbow Dash. "Yesterday you were greatly infuriated with me for not being impressed by the display of your "Sonic Rainboom" technique. Why would you burn through the majority of your mana and leave yourself vulnerable for the purpose of trying to rescue me?" he asked.

"Wha' the hay are you talking about? Did you think I'd just leave you to get devoured or something because you ticked me off earlier?" Rainbow Dash asked him. Was he really serious?

"Correct."

He _was_ serious! Oh Luna!

"Look I don't know what things are like where you come from but here in Equestria that's not how we do things. We don't let ponies -or whatever you are- die just because we're upset at them. That's not what friends do for each other, there's no logic in that," Rainbow Dash explained. "Besides I haven't wowed you yet, I can't let you get eaten before then!"

"You're completely illogical," Ulquiorra stated simply, finding nothing else to make sense in this context.

"Thanks," Rainbow Dash replied, obviously oblivious to the meaning of what he'd just said. "You can thank me later, though, the dragon's coming back and we gotta get outta here!"

True enough the dragon had recovered from the unexpected collision and circled back around, and was currently coming toward them, roaring angrily as it flapped its mighty wings and bearing down on them, prepared to unleash the fullest magnitude of its fury.

That is until a boulder came flying out of nowhere and shattered against its head, and left it dazed and no longer directly focused on them.

"What the buck?" Rainbow Dash asked. She'd been prepared to engage in whatever fancy aerial maneuvers were needed to get them to safety, but the sudden intrusion by a rock left her confused.

Another boulder followed and slammed into the dragon's ribcage on its injured side and made it flinch in pain.

* * *

"Rainbow Dash, wait!" Twilight called, but it was already too late as the hotheaded pegasus was already flying out of the mouth of the cave before she could protest any further. That stubborn, brazen, featherbrained idiot! Didn't she realize that she'd just volunteered for a suicide mission? "This is bad..." she muttered and shook her head, before running for the cave mouth, the others hot on her hooves to see what the status on their friend was.

By the time they got out of the cave their was a loud rumbling explosion in the distance. By the time their eyes adjusted to the natural brightness provided by the sun they could see the telltale signs of a Sonic Rainboom in the sky, the spectral trail that followed in Rainbow Dash's wake hurtling off into the distance.

"Good gracious what's going on over there?" Rarity asked.

Twilight said nothing as she magically withdrew a pair of binoculars from her discarded saddlebags, frantically trying to focus on what was happening. By the time she had a clear line of sight for what was unfolding she caught the sight of Rainbow Dash plucking Ulquiorra out of of the air and was now keeping him from falling helplessly to the ground.

"It's alright, girls, they're both safe," she stated and released a long held breath of tension. "For the moment."

"Thank goodness," Fluttershy whispered, "I honestly don't know what went wrong, girls, for some reason the dragon just wasn't listening to me."

"Don' be sweatin' it none, Sugarcube," Applejack said in a reassuring manner as she placed a hoof on her shoulder. They knew Fluttershy had tried her best, it wasn't her fault the dragon was as mean and ornery as a sidewinder. None of them could possibly have known that things would've gone as wrong as they did, it sure as cider wasn't Fluttershy's fault that the dragon had responded the way it did. Outside of the time Discord hypnotized those beavers, this was the first time she could really remember Fluttershy's critter managing skills had actually failed them.

"Hmm..." Twilight muttered as she observed the scene, now locating where the dragon was in relation to the others and how it was currently flying. "It looks like Rainbow Dash actually injured the dragon somewhat. It looks like its favoring its right side... I think she actually tackled it after using her Sonic Rainboom and rammed into it, possibly to make it release Ulquiorra. It's possible she managed to bruise or even crack a rib or two on the impact," she explained.

From a scientific standpoint it seemed to make sense. She remembered yesterday how Ulquiorra mentioned when Rainbow Dash used her technique, her mana was actively used to strengthen her body so it didn't disintegrate when breaking the sound barrier -which required traveling at a speed in excess of one thousand, eighty three feet per second second- so logically it could be concluded that the same process strengthened her body enough to allow her to survive a collision with a full grown, well muscled dragon.

Actually now that she thought about it, it made a _lot_ of sense.

"Shoot ah always knew RD was hard headed an' all, but ah never expected 'er ta be _that_ hard headed," Applejack stated.

"What's happening now, Twilight?" Pinkie asked curiously, eager to find out the state of her friends, all the while planning what kind of party to throw for them.

Twilight wordlessly turned her attention back to what was ahead of her, preparing to give a detailed report of events that were unfolding. However her preparations and plans fell apart when she realized that the dragon wasn't backing down but rather getting ready to advance upon their friends once again.

"Oh shit, oh SHIT!" she exclaimed without even realizing the slip in dialect. "The dragon's getting ready to attack them again!"

They were too shocked by the news to ask Twilight about the sudden use of the unfamiliar term. All the way out there and away from solid ground, what could they do?

The binoculars were dropped as Twilight began panicking, looking around frantically for anything that could be used actively or passively to save her friends. A large boulder sat conveniently on the ledge, likely dislodged when the dragon escaped with Ulquiorra in tow. Without further deliberation she picked it up in her telekinetic hold and hurled it as hard as she could at the dragon's soon-to-be current position.

"More rocks! We need more rocks or they're going to die!" Twilight yelled.

They needed to act quickly. Hurtling large rocks was good and all, but with a dragon this size all it would do was provide a mild distraction. But under these circumstances it was all that could be asked for.

All she could do was hurl rocks blindly and pray that they landed. She didn't have enough time to factor in wind resistance, cross wind velocity and aerodynamics, she had to act in pure desperation right now.

Without word or warning Pinkie managed to find and shove another large boulder into their field of view. It was quickly picked up and hurtled at the dragon again. By the time Applejack managed to pick up the binoculars she saw it collide with the dragon's side.

"Direct hit Twilight!" Applejack called as she looked through the binoculars, only to have them yanked away from her by Rarity's magic.

"Marvelous aim darling. But if you want another bullseye to the head you'll need to adjust your aim three degrees to the right," she explained.

They lacked Rainbow Dash's speed and powers of flight. But that didn't mean they were helpless in the situation. While Rainbow Dash was away making her grand rescue attempt they'd scrambled out of the cave and done the only thing they could think to do; improvise. Which in this case was Twilight magically hurling large stones at the dragon as hard and as fast as she could, Rarity providing latitude and longitude for each shot, and Pinkie fetching the boulders to be used for ammunition purposes.

Even if they couldn't cause any serious injury to the dragon at this distance, they could at least provide a distraction to keep him from attacking Ulquiorra and Rainbow Dash.

"On it!" Twilight replied as she grasped another boulder and hefted it for another salvo, not even noticing the roar in the distance.

"Nopony gets away with hurting our friends! Not even if they're a dragon!" Pinkie yelled as she shoved another boulder into place. Suddenly, growing up on a rock farm seemed like a blessing.

"He's comin' back ya'll!" Applejack suddenly warned as she saw the dragon's figure slowly getting bigger in the horizon. Even without the binoculars she could tell what was going on. Their distraction was working alright, just a little too well as it was now completely ignoring the other two and coming back for them!

* * *

Another boulder caught the dragon in the neck just below the jawbone, making it reach up and grasp its injured area. And from the sounds it was making it was easy to tell that it was very displeased with being pelted.

"Do your "friends" actually believe they can stop the dragon with such a petty assault?" Ulquiorra asked as another rock came hurtling into view and smashed against the dragon's shoulder. Each boulder coming downrange was easily the size of a pony, but against a dragon of this size it was little more than gravel against a regular sized individual, comparatively speaking anyway.

Then again said gravel was coming in the form of large, several hundred to several thousand pound projectiles, crossing the distance between the mountains and here in a matter of just a few seconds.

"Beats me but it gives us a chance to get out of here," Rainbow Dash pointed out. She was just about to do that when the dragon unleashed another angry roar and took off flying again... headed right back towards her friends! "Horse apples!"

"Are you able to catch up to the dragon with me in tow before it reaches the others?" Ulquiorra asked her.

"...No..." Rainbow Dash replied slowly, not wanting to admit the fact. Her rescue attempt had drained most of her mana and trying to keep herself and him up in the sky wasn't doing her any good. She wouldn't admit it but she had her doubts as to whether or not she'd be able to catch up to the dragon even before it reached her friends. She was just about to ask Ulquiorra what he had in mind, when much to her surprise he did his boom thing and disappeared right out of her forelegs and out of sight. "How'd he do that?" she asked in confusion. And the better question was where had he gone?

Nevermind! That was a question for another time, right now there were more important issues at hoof, like trying to rescue her friends before they got eaten!

* * *

There was a great deal of panic back at the cave as the five tried to figure out what to do. The dragon was coming in fast and there was nowhere safe to hide that they couldn't be found. It could easily tear up the cave looking for them and their legs would never carry them far enough away in time to avoid being caught.

"Ah think we bit off more than we can chew," Applejack stated as the dragon got closer. Despite it all, Twilight hurled another large boulder at the dragon and caught it in the side of the face, but it simply bounced off the angle of its cheek, any damage it could've done being comparatively minimal.

"What're we going to do?" Fluttershy squeaked in terror.

"I honestly don't know. But if we die today then we're going to do so with great difficulty," Twilight stated firmly as her horn began to glow brightly.

The barrage of rocks served no point now, instead Twilight settled for pure magical blasts being discharged in quick succession inbetween short charge times, sending a steady stream of magical beams downrange in the dragon's direction, each blast kicking up dust as it traveled over the solid ground and into the open air beyond them. If they were going to die today there really wasn't anything she could do about it. But that didn't mean she was going to take it laying down and without resistance.

Each blast made contact with the dragon. However they failed to do anything more than shatter against its tough skin. It was no better than trying to spit watermelon seeds in its direction, except it was making the dragon all the angrier.

The situation was, for lack of a better word, hopeless. Fleeing wasn't an option as the dragon could catch them in no time either in its claw or with a stream of fire. Standing to fight wasn't an option as they were far too small to pose a significant risk. And Twilight's mana reserves were being further and further depleted with each shot she fired. There really wasn't anything they could do except resign themselves to the possibility that they were actually done for.

Applejack accepted this fate calmly and quietly, seeing no point in getting upset. Fluttershy cried to herself and weakly apologized for everything being her fault. Pinkie and Rarity wailed and carried on rather dramatically. Twilight was hunched over and panting raggedly, stubbornly wearing a look of refusal on her face, her horn steaming as she began charging another blast to try and send down the dragon's throat when she saw its open mouth. Her intent was to be defiant to the very end and planned on cooking the dragon's guts from the inside out if it was going to eat them.

By now the dragon was only a few hundred feet away right now, and that distance was closing quickly and there was nothing they could do about it. The only option left was to say their goodbyes and share gratitudes for having known each other.

And then the last thing any of them ever expect to see happen actually happened; Ulquiorra had appeared in front of the dragon out of nowhere and stopped it right in its tracks. Actually that was an understatement as what truly happened was something they couldn't properly comprehend.

The idea behind the sonido they more or less understood, but that was as far as it went. What they didn't understand was how he'd managed to sonido in front of the dragon, in midair no less, and had halted the dragon by using both hands to press firmly against its snout. This resulted in slowing its progression to a standstill, his feet kicking up huge clouds of what looked like dust in the process, as if he'd slowly ground to a halt against the hard stone of the mountain itself.

Right now, right in front of their disbelieving eyes, he was literally standing in midair, hundreds of feet above any solid ground, and somehow generating enough force to overcome the thrust of the dragon's wings and stop it from advancing any further, a mere fifty feet away from the cliff's edge the others stood upon.

The tears and the sadness stopped as the five ponies stood with wide eyes and open mouths at what they'd just witnessed take place before them. It was a feat that, by every conceivable standard of the laws of physics that governed their world and the use of their magic, should be absolutely impossible to achieve. What they'd just witnessed was more befitting of a mediocre quality story meant purely for entertainment purposes without taking real world physics into account. It was something that had to be impossible, a fact hammered home with each continual flap of the dragon's wings as it stubbornly tried to move.

It was a thought that bore reiterating: what they'd just seen was a feat that was supposed to be absolutely impossible to successfully pull off.

So just how exactly in the nine pits of _Tartarus_ had that just been possible!?

"Did he just..." Rarity asked but was unable to finish the sentence, the entire display simply too unbelievable.

"He _stopped_ the dragon," Twilight answered, completely dumbstruck and eyes wide, her own fatigue forgotten at the moment.

"In midair!" Applejack added in utter disbelief. Had Ulquiorra done the whole thing on the ground it would've been impossible enough to believe, but this was like impossible squared or something.

The dragon seemed to share their confusion after a long moment, going cross-eyed to look at Ulquiorra as he stood there, presenting an immovable object.

"I believe I've adequately explained that I cannot and will not allow any harm to come to these ponies," Ulquiorra calmly stated as he drew his left hand back and brought a fist down firmly on the dragon's snout.

Under the best of circumstances, if the pony in question was really strong, this act would cause the dragon momentary pain and disorient them. But these were _not_ such circumstances, Ulquiorra was no pony, and the dragon wasn't disoriented. Rather the dragon was now howling in intense pain from the sudden cracking noise that was heard and followed the felt blow, and falling out of the sky from the force of the blow.

"Oh... my..." Fluttershy whispered in surprise.

Being around Pinkie long enough made one comfortable in the fact that things could happen that nopony could adequately explain. They just accepted it for whatever it was. But that said, nothing Pinkie could conceivably pull off could ever prepare them for what they were seeing right now. Were there any laws of physics that Ulquiorra wasn't currently violating? Defying gravity, pound for pound generating far more force than could even be conceived as possible, withstanding hundreds of degrees worth of heat without suffering any burns, moving faster than the eye could see, and single hoofedly beating the snot out of a fully grown adult dragon!

Twilight's mind was running wild with more questions than ever before, more than she ever thought possible. The things Ulquiorra was doing right now as he faced off against the dragon couldn't be explained no matter how hard she tried to. She was certain there was some logical, physical, scientific explanation for it all, something that could be found somewhere and broken down into easy to understand facts that would all make sense if they were really applied.

But right now she wasn't coming up with a single one of those things as she was far too busy watching everything unfold before her, just like the rest of her friends.

"How can any_body_ be so unbelievably strong?" Rarity finally asked, being the first to find her voice. The entire display was unlike anything she could ever remember seeing before. Not even the fantasy novels she sometimes borrowed from Twilight talked about something like this, it was simply too unbelievable to be taken seriously.

"Sure beats the tar outta me," Applejack replied, "can ya imagine what it'd be like if he worked at Sweet Apple Acres? There wouldn' be an apple left hangin' by the end o' the first day o' applebuckin' season!"

Down below and away from them the dragon flapped its wings to catch itself and stop its descent, shaking its head to clear its senses, wincing as the movement made its snout hurt worse.

Having successfully recovered from the blow that'd been delivered to it by something no bigger than its fist, the dragon was making its way back toward them with a vengeance. It was out for blood and revenge and was going to tear through anything in its path without discretion in order to get what it wanted.

"Look out Ulqy that big mean dragon's coming back!" Pinkie called out loudly at the sight of the dragon rising again.

"Ulquiorra! Get out of there, quick!" Twilight called out.

Fluttershy remained silent as she watched, unable to vocalize anything. Ulquiorra had just saved them from certain death twice, putting himself directly in the line of danger in order to do so. He was facing down a fully grown male dragon all by himself and exposing himself to danger all for their sake, and had done so even without being asked for help. He was... so heroic in nature. He was just like the knights in fairy tales, facing the ferocious dragon to rescue the princess and live happily ever after, except this time it was playing out in real life.

She'd never before felt so excited, and so terrified, then she was at that very moment.

Ulquiorra almost casually looked in the direction the dragon was coming from as it swooped back up in front of him, a claw drawn back in its approach and swung toward him to try and swat him out of the way like he was nothing.

Much like the first time this attack ultimately proved futile. As the claw approached from the side he calmly extended his left hand and caught it on the approach, stopping it in its track from moving any further.

"If you want to fight anyone else you'll have to kill me first," he explained calmly, before withdrawing his hand and quickly bringing it down on top of one of the dragon's fingers, resulting a loud cracking noise and the targeted digit sticking out at an odd angle.

"Did he just..." Rarity start to ask but failed to finish the question.

"He just broke one of the dragon's claws with a single punch," Twilight stated in response, not able to believe it herself. Dragons' claws were incredibly strong and resilient to damage, built for tearing and digging through solid stone as easily as Spike dug through dirt when he helped Rarity go gem hunting, to be exposed to lava without any consequence from the submersion.

And Ulquiorra had just effortlessly broken one of its bones right through thickened scales and toughed muscles, when said bone was twice as thick as his own arm.

Immediately the dragon roared in pain and clutched its broken claw.

"You're quite troublesome."

Despite the overwhelming pain it was experiencing the dragon looked up to see Ulquiorra standing right in front of its face and positioned right between its eyes. No further words were exchanged after that point, as he raised his right foot and forcefully stomped right between its eyes, not even bothering to take his hands out of his pockets in the process.

* * *

For the life of her Rainbow Dash couldn't properly wrap her head around what she was seeing during her approach. First he'd disappeared out of her forelegs and apparently traveled between there and her friends faster than even she could move, and then it looked like he was beating the crud out of the dragon all by himself. He was super fast _and_ super strong? What was this dude made from, dark matter or something? How could he send a fully grown dragon into screams of pain with a single kick when even _she_ couldn't do that?

And didn't he say yesterday that she was faster than he was? What was up with that?

As she made her way back to her friends she didn't know whether to be seriously jealous, or wowed by the sheer awesomeness of it all. He was kicking more flank than she ever believed possible.

The kick between the eyes -at least that's what it looked like from her vantage point in her approach- had sent the dragon grabbing for its face as its wings cut out in mid-flap and it dropped in altitude.

If she had to rank this on a scale of awesomeness it would be right at or above winning front row tickets to watch the Wonderbolts perform. Or maybe Cloudsdale getting picked to host the Equestria Games tournament.

"RD ya feather brained idjit get outta the way!" she heard Applejack yell as she got closer. Right now it really did sound like a good idea, the skies were too dangerous right now and she made a beeline for the group figuring it was safest with them.

"Am I really seeing what I think I'm seeing?" Rainbow Dash asked as she touched down.

Her attention was drawn back to the battle as the dragon recovered from the attack and prepared to attack again, only to be slapped right across the snout with enough force to move its head off to the side. She winced at that display of strength and confidence, pondering how much force someone so skinny actually commanded if they could do something like that.

"That and a whole lot more," Twilight replied and nodded, cringing at the sound of a loud crunch as Ulquiorra dove toward the dragon and kicked it in the lower jaw, making its head snap back as it tumbled backwards. "That's gonna hurt in the morning..."

Applejack nearly did a double take. Did Twilight really just use a word like "gonna" to describe and refer to something? This whole situation must've been worse than she thought if her friend was breaking from the otherwise proper and fancy grammar she so normally used.

Or maybe she'd just been hanging around them long enough that they were finally rubbing off on her.

"He's so heroic, saving us like he did," Fluttershy mused contentedly.

"I understand that he's a completely different species from us... but isn't he just so dreamy?" Rarity asked in response. He was indeed a hero to put himself in danger like that just for their sakes. How could one possibly ask for anything better?

Twilight shook her head as she continued watching the display. The dragon seemed to have fully recovered from the blow to the chin and made an effort to gain greater altitude, only for Ulquiorra to sonido his way over to it and actually stomp on its back right between the wings, possibly hitting a nerve cluster in the process as this caused the dragon's wings to lock up and sent it falling to the ground below.

"No way!" Rainbow Dash stated, her eyes wide in surprise.

There was a loud crash below that shook them from their own individual thoughts and brought them back forward as the dragon crashed into the trees below in the forest, flattening anything that was in its path from the rough landing.

From their vantage point it didn't look like the dragon was in any position to be getting back up again. And it seemed Ulquiorra had reached the same conclusion as he turned and walked -on thin air no less- back to the group and stepped down onto the ground next to them.

For a long moment there wasn't a single sound coming from the ponies as they just stood there in stunned silence. Then after a long moment he was bombarded with questions and statements from all sides about everything they'd witnessed in the course of just a few minutes as the six descended upon his position. How could he overpower a fully grown male dragon? How could he fly without wings? How could he walk on air? How could he withstand the dragon's fire? How did he get to be so awesome? And so on, and so on...and so on... coming from five of the present ponies, each of them trying to gain an advantage at being heard and hopefully getting their questions answered.

Pomf!

His attention slowly turned to Rainbow Dash as she stood there with her wings fully deployed and pointing upward, her primary feathers extended in a manner that didn't look particularly comfortable to be in. Slowly all eyes turned to her as she appeared uncomfortable with this development.

"Really Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked in an incredulous manner at what she was seeing.

Rainbow laughed nervously. "What can I say? He's...awesome..." she tried to explain.

The significance of the entire display was lost on Ulquiorra, to the point he was willing to ask Twilight Sparkle to elaborate. However before he could even get the first word out there was a roar and a rush of wind behind them as the dragon once more came around, swooping up the side of the cliff and shooting over their heads at great speed.

"He jus' don' quit!" Applejack stated as she held onto her hat while looking up, only to go pale at the sight of the dragon preparing to unleash a massive fireball. "Hit the dirt!"

The ponies scattered from the scene as the fire came. Ulquiorra responded to the incoming assault by grasping the hilt of his zanpakutō and spinning one hundred and eighty degrees as he unsheathed it, a massive trail of his reiatsu following after the arching sweep and meeting with the fire, before cutting through the fire and dissipating the path all the way back to the dragon's mouth, slamming into the back of its throat and choking it.

To Twilight and her friends it looked like he'd just overpowered the dragon's flames with nothing more than a single swing of his sword, the force of the swing traveling all the way back up to the dragon's mouth and causing its fire to peter out. As Princess Luna would say, the awesomeness had just been doubled.

Or at least that's what Rainbow Dash thought she'd say. To Twilight it was just another thing to add to the list of questions that needed to be answered.

Another burst of sonido and Ulquiorra appeared in front of the dragon, his left arm drawn back before his fist was slammed into the dragon's chest at full force. The impact resulted in a very dull, very loud thud from the contact that could easily be heard from where they stood.

The dragon let out a loud groan of pain that suggested this had hurt it far more than any of the previous attacks, its front claws drifting to its midsection as it lost altitude and more or less crash landed on the hard ground in a collapsed fashion, groaning and panting heavily as if the wind had been thoroughly knocked right out of it.

"Did you girls see what I just saw?" Pinkie asked curiously.

"That Mr. Cifer fella sucker punching the dragon an' bringin' it down? Eeyup," Applejack replied.

The dragon groaned as it tried to push itself back up again, only to collapse onto the ground in failure, only managing to get its leg out from under its massive bulk as the rough landing had hurt it more. But the struggling had proven enough to display something none of the ponies had expected to see; blood. The punch to the chest had been enough not only to knock the wind out of the dragon but also break its skin bad enough that it was bleeding from the injury.

Comparatively speaking the injury didn't seem anymore threatening than a rose thorn prick to one of them. But that didn't change the fact that Ulquiorra, with a single blow from his fist alone, had generated enough force to actually make the dragon _bleed._ It was a scary thought to consider actually.

"I think it's safe to say this matter is over and done for," Rarity cautiously stated.

"I don't think it's over just yet, girls, look," Twilight stated and pointed as Ulquiorra disappeared from view and reappeared in front of the dragon and facing it, calmly resheathing his zanpakutō before speaking again.

"I grow tired of demonstrating the fact that you can't harm me. I have given you multiple opportunities to leave of your own volition but you've continued to respond in an overly aggressive manner. I'm unwilling to extend you anymore chances. Your very existence threatens the existence and wellbeing of countless others. And it is for that reason that you're going to die now," Ulquiorra explained to the downed dragon and extended his right hand, a ball of green energy forming at his fingertip, several swirling trails of like-colored energy seeming to spiral and swirl into the center and add to its mass.

"No..." Fluttershy whispered in shock at his words, being the first one out from the hiding spot they'd picked.

Everything had gone wrong, she didn't know where but it had. This whole mess had started out as a simple relocation mission to try and convince the dragon to leave because of the threat it presented. From there everything had gone downhill and fast. The dragon had been awake and highly aggressive, had attacked them without provocation, which had resulted in Ulquiorra stepping up and protecting them from harm at his own expense. And then the dragon had grabbed him and they needed to rescue him. And then after they'd gotten done rescuing him he'd gone and rescued them again and proceeded to pummel the dragon almost effortlessly in order to keep them safe and the dragon away from them.

He'd been so heroic to watch. He was so calm under pressure and collected in what he did, able to so easily tend to the dragon when they couldn't, so dedicated to keeping them safe from harm. It was all so incredible to watch.

And then suddenly they found themselves here. The dragon had been beaten quite thoroughly, and even quite violently. It was prone on the ground and laboring for breath before Ulquiorra, who stood coldly and dispassionately before it, informing it he intended to kill it for failing to leave in a peaceful manner, and even at this very moment was preparing what she could only assume was an attack capable of fulfilling his promise. In the space of just a few minutes he'd gone from being an observer, to a hero, to a ferocious and merciless predator who, even in the face of a weaker opponent that couldn't fight back, intended to press his assault to the very end to prove his own overwhelming dominance.

This dragon didn't present anymore danger to them at this point. She wouldn't deny that it had attacked them without provocation, but that was in its nature as a dragon; one of the reasons she was so terrified of them when they were bigger than Spike. But right now as she looked into the watery eyes of this dragon she didn't see rage, or hunger, or even a primal territorial nature that would drive it to attack others. She saw fear, she saw despair, and above all she saw the realization of absolute, overwhelming helplessness in the face of something it couldn't compete against. It was like a poor bunny facing down an enraged timberwolf right now.

"No... please don't do this," she pleaded, her weak voice cracking. Unfortunately her pleas appeared to be falling on deaf ears as Ulquiorra remained completely unmoved.

The others had started to emerge from where they'd hidden in order to get a better view of what was going to happen next. They'd all heard the talk back in the cave but they'd assumed it was just a boast. But now with all the facts taken into account it no longer looked like that, it looked like he was not only serious but quite capable of doing such. Despite the facts and what they'd seen so far this idea horrified them.

Equally horrifying was the eerie green-hued glow the technique was casting over the immediate area and the shadows it was casting on the dragon's face, something about it was deeply unsettling and disturbing and just magnified the thought that they were about to witness a true execution of another living being.

"Hey dude come on, the dragons' down for the count, it's not like he can get back up and attack again," Rainbow Dash stated in disbelief. Ulquiorra had already won, did he really need to press the matter further when it was already so obvious? She didn't even know exactly what he was doing but she knew it couldn't be good.

"No... please..." Fluttershy croaked but to no avail, the ball seeming to whine at this point of its formation.

"Ulquiorra stop! What're you doing!?" Twilight shouted as she galloped over to him, the others not far behind her. She couldn't let this happen. She couldn't face Princess Celestia and admit that she'd lost control of the situation and had allowed Ulquiorra to kill the dragon through her own inability to stop him. There had to be something that could be done, anything!

"Don't," Fluttershy pleaded, tears running down her face at her own helplessness of the situation. The dragon was going to die and it was going to be all her fault for not being able to do what she was asked to do.

"What Princess Celestia herself will not do," Ulquiorra replied calmly and discharged his Cero at the dragon.

He missed.

His aim had been true and the dragon should've been reduced to a smouldering corpse. But instead his Cero was fired off toward the horizon as Fluttershy held onto his wrist with a single hoof and wasn't letting it anywhere near the dragon. She had spent this entire mission being quiet, scared, staying behind, and doing everything else to convey her fear of the situation. He assumed her fear of dragon's outweighed her care for animals and she wouldn't have interfered. It appeared he assumed wrong as she was now doing everything in her power to actually _defend_ the dragon from harm, including interfering with his Cero's trajectory.

Three things immediately came to his mind. The first being Fluttershy's speed and how she had managed to launch herself between him and the dragon just before the discharge of his Cero. He assumed her speed was enough to rival that of Rainbow Dash if she truly tried.

The second was something that seemed pointless currently but couldn't be ignored; while most of the ponies he'd encountered didn't quite come up to his waist at the shoulder, once they reared up on their hind legs the difference between their height and his wasn't even a full foot.

The third was her eyes. The look in her eyes as she stared straight into his was... intimidating. They were filled with a barely restrained rage the likes of which he hadn't seen since...

_"...I see. No mercy eh?" Ulquiorra asked rhetorically as he looked up toward the Shinigami that stood atop his head, a bright red Cero forming between his horns and aimed directly at his face. "How very Hollow-like."_

_Despite his best efforts he'd been incapable of defeating Ichigo Kurosaki and protecting the safety of Las Noches. Through a means he didn't understand the Shinigami had managed to survive having a hole blown through his chest via his Cero Oscuras technique and now stood before him -and on top of him- in triumph. He himself laid defeated on dome of Las Noches, cut through from hip to shoulder, one of his horns severed and helpless to do anything other than look up at his own impending death._

_"I don't care. I have no reason to live now that you've beaten me," he said bitterly as he watched the Cero being charged, his doom growing closer and closer by the second. "Do it."_ **

...since he'd been Cero'd to the face by that brat.

How ironic.

"How _dare_ you?" Fluttershy asked, oblivious as his Cero passed by her and disrupted the flow of her mane, the beam having come dangerously close to one of her flapping wings. "How DARE you?" she demanded as she stared at him, trying to burn a hole straight through him with her piercing gaze. "What gives you the right to decide who lives and who dies? How dare you try and kill something that can't even stand up against you? Can't you see that he can't even stand on his own feet, much less defend himself against you!?"

It was ludicrous. In his time in Hueco Mundo he had stared down many who challenged him. His strength was recognized and subject to both respect and fear. His gaze was enough that even Princess Celestia _and_ Princess Luna were uncomfortable when staring him in the eyes and they'd attempt to focus elsewhere. And here he was, being stared down by the meek yellow pegasus who was easily the weakest in the group and finding himself unable to shake the feeling that _he_ was now the proverbial ant underneath the magnifying glass being lectured.

The fact that she'd managed to even move his arm was amazing and most curious. Even more curious was how her reiatsu level had suddenly jumped when she'd intervened, and even now it was increasing dramatically as she spoke to him, speaking unopposed as he found himself without a vocal response to give.

"All this poor dragon wanted to do was take a nap, that doesn't warrant death!" she stated furiously, before turning her attention to the dragon itself. "And you! I can understand how badly you want a nap and how tired you are, but you can't nap here! You need to find somewhere else that isn't so close to a populated area where ponies and little animals are going to be breathing your smoke for the next hundred years. Now go on and shoo like we asked you too earlier. This whole mess could've been avoided if you'd just been a little more understanding the first time around," she scolded. "Get out of here, right now! Be smart and just go away!"

Ulquiorra watched -in great disbelief- as the dragon seemed to heed the words of Fluttershy and slowly, painfully stood itself back up on shaky legs, giving its wings a few cursory flaps before taking off into the sky again and setting off toward the east, far away from their current position until it was nothing more than a tiny dot in the sky.

His attention slowly drifted back to what was in front of him; namely a very pissed off looking Fluttershy, still glaring at him with a ferocity he hadn't seen displayed in this world before. These ponies continued to surprise him and leave him in a state of confusion.

"It would seem Princess Celestia's trust in you was not misplaced," he commented, uncertain of what else he could say on the situation. What really _was_ appropriate to say in this situation when you were facing down what was supposed to be the weakest of the group, who now displayed a capacity for brutality that rivaled several of the more violent prone Espada, and seemed fully willing to use it in response to his actions?


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Sixteen**

Celestia went silent at her sister's question to her. She looked at Luna for any signs that would suggest she was attempting to be humorous but no such signs existed. Rather she looked quite serious and confused.

"Pardon?" she asked.

"We asked why art thou standing naked in the throne room," Luna repeated herself.

She felt rather foalish right now as it just dawned on her that she still hadn't replaced her traditional jewelry after the closing of the solar court. The uneasiness of the nobles had been her one and only distraction during the day from her worries regarding everything else. She'd fully intended to put them back on afterwards but in her uncertainty over the mission and Ulquiorra's first truly unsupervised visit she'd simply forgotten about it. Now Luna was calling her out on it.

"It's not as if there's anything wrong with it. Most of our subjects are naked throughout the course of their days," Celestia explained.

"T'was not the question dear sister. Why art thou devoid of thine's royal adornments?" Luna asked as she looked her over with a critical eye. "We understand that thee doth wish to do away with royal decorum whenever possible but certain things are simply uncalled for, dear sister. Surely thou didst not entertain the nobles in such a manner."

Silence.

"Sister?" Luna asked.

More silence.

"Dear sister surely thou doth jest!" Luna stated in disbelief. The look in Celestia's eyes had told the entire story even if her mouth was silent. She truly _had_ done such! "Stars above and beyond, dear sister, we doth know that thou are mischevious but 'tis a knew level even for thee," she said and sighed, shaking her head at it all before turning to leave. "We art going to get ourselves doughnuts from Doughnut Joe's shop. And we wouldst like to see thee attempt to stop us from doing so," she said as she turned her head to face her, her scowl informing Celestia that she was displeased with her, just daring her to try something in response.

Celestia for her part was left uncertain and uneasy. She really didn't believe that Luna would be so uptight about her actions. She'd had to deal with the nobles before and agreed that they were bothersome and a pain in the flank to put up with time and time again. She thought her sister would be more open to the idea of the change in decorum but apparently she was wrong.

Before Luna could leave though there was a loud boom in the distance that brought her right back to the balcony to see what was going on. Were they under attack?

"The Sonic Rainboom?" Celestia asked as she saw the polychromatic shock wave rip into existence. To the best of her knowledge Rainbow Dash was still the only pony who could use such a technique, so the only logical conclusion was that she was in the area. However what caught her eye was the rainbow trail that originated at the center of the shock wave and was hurtling toward...

...right toward the dragon as it was leaving? Whatever was Rainbow Dash doing?

Luna meanwhile had magically grabbed the royal telescope from its resting spot to get a better look at events as they unfolded, managing to catch a glimpse as Rainbow Dash impacted the dragon's ribs before bouncing off from the angle of her trajectory and wildly spinning out of control. Whatever had possessed the little pegasus to launch an attack against a fully grown dragon?

Whatever it had been it appeared that her attack had done _some_ measure of damage to the dragon as it grasped its side and its flight course suffered greatly. And then she noticed as something fell out of its clenched claw. Not now something but somepony... somebody!

"Ulquiorra Cifer!" Luna shouted in surprise.

Celestia was curious and commandeered the telescope to see what her sister was talking about, observing as Rainbow Dash managed to match up with Ulquiorra's downward trajectory and pluck him out of the air so effortlessly. As best she could tell the dragon must've captured the Arrancar and Rainbow Dash had launched a rescue mission to get him back; a mission that had succeeded. Unfortunately now it looked like they had to contend with an angry dragon that was bearing down on them intent on devouring them right out of the air.

And then a boulder wrapped in a lavender aura entered the picture and shattered against the dragon's side and distracted it. It was safe to conclude that Twilight and her friends were now launching their own rescue effort.

"What dost thou see?" Luna asked and wrestled control of the telescope from her sister to see what was going on. She looked just in time to see boulder after boulder slamming into the dragon and annoying it greatly as they shattered from the impact and fell to the ground. Ingenious! "Twilight Sparkle and her friends are most resourceful," Luna commented. However her look of excitement soon turned to one of horror. "The dragon's now going after them! And... and..."

"And what? What's happening?" Celestia asked as she grew more concerned by the second at Luna's silence.

Luna said nothing and passed to telescope back to Celestia, allowing her to see for herself what was going on, herself finding the entire thing too unbelievable to entertain. But sure enough there it was before them, Ulquiorra Cifer using both hands and halting the dragon's approach as he stood in mid air as if on solid ground. Not even the flapping of its large wings seemed sufficient to overcome such a minute obstacle. While they'd both been present when he'd said he was capable of flight it was quite different to see such an act rather than just hearing about it.

And then the beating began. Celestia didn't know whether to cringe or rub her eyes in confusion. "He's... he's beating the tar out of the dragon all by himself..."

The very notion of it all. Luna didn't even want to consider the implications of it, she truly didn't.

"Might we make an observation dear sister?" Luna finally asked. Celestia turned away from the telescope to look at her. "We remember Ulquiorra Cifer stating that he was overwhelmed by our presence and our strength eclipsed his own even though we didst not realize such a thing were possible. But in light of certain recent developments..." she paused and glanced back in the direction of the mountains, "we doth believe that he is bullshitting us."

Celestia was a little surprised by her sister's choice of language and how bluntly she'd just said what she did, even moreso by the fact that it was a term native to Ulquiorra's world rather than their own. However before she could raise the issue she was cut off by a bright green beam effortlessly cutting through the slowly darkening sky.

"What just happened? Did Ulquiorra Cifer just..." Luna began but was unable to finish the sentence.

Celestia looked back through the telescope to evaluate the situation. "No... no it looks like... I really can't believe it myself, it looks like Fluttershy managed to prevent an execution from taking place... and now it looks like she's scolding both Ulquiorra _and_ the dragon at the same time," she relayed.

Luna laughed. Despite everything that had been going on and all the concerns she had she found herself laughing out loud. She could mentally picture Ulquiorra Cifer and the dragon, both of them with horrible looks on their face as an angry Fluttershy flew back and forth between them, yelling at them about their wrongs and doing so in that petite voice of hers raised to new levels in volume.

"And now it would seem the dragon is leaving. It would seem Fluttershy succeeded in her mission," Celestia stated.

"Most excellent dear sister!" Luna cheered. "Shouldst we depart to collect Ulquiorra Cifer and the Elements of Harmony? Nightfall is destined for not long from now and the journey back to Ponyville is quite long."

"That sounds like an excellent idea. There are a few things I wish to discuss with them and the sooner the better," Celestia agreed and nodded.

"Then let us depart," Luna replied, but quickly flared her wings out as she stepped before her sister. "But first thou art finding thine's adornments. Thou art going nowhere in your state of undress. 'Tis undignified."

* * *

It was unsettlingly still and uncomfortably quiet. Fluttershy hadn't said so much as a single word in the minute that passed since the dragon had left. She hadn't softened her stare, she hadn't even let go of Ulquiorra's wrist. It was just a dead stillness in the air like before a massive rain dropped. It was uncomfortable enough the others were feeling it as they observed the two and waited to see who would blink first.

"The tension's thick enough ya could cut it wit' a knife," Applejack quietly commented.

"I don't think a slice of tension would make a very good snack. It's all tough and chewy like beef jerky," Pinkie replied.

The others gave the pink earth pony a confused look at what she'd just said. But then again that wasn't the weirdest thing she'd ever said, just one of the more unexpected things they'd heard so far. They'd let it go for now as they waited to see how things unfolded.

"I don't believe I've ever seen Fluttershy this upset before. It's positively eerie if you ask me," Rarity added and shivered.

Not far away Ulquiorra wasn't doing much better than the rest of them. It was inconceivable that Fluttershy would be able to meet and return his gaze with an effectiveness such as this. It was disturbing, unsettling, and very confusing. "Do you intend to release my arm before nightfall?" he finally asked.

"How..." he heard Fluttershy respond in a low and passively hostile tone, "how can you be so cruel and merciless? How could you be so serious about killing a living creature?" she all but demanded at her foreleg shook, her reiatsu level seeming to increase further.

"It was a calculated decision and the most logical conclusion. Surely one dragon does not outweigh the lives of everyone in Equestria, your "friends" and your animals included," Ulquiorra replied. The whole reason she'd agreed to this mission was because he'd pointed out her animals were facing the possibility of death if she didn't. Why was she so upset with him having chosen the best course of action? "Had I not acted you and the rest of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony would likely be dead by now and Equestria would have been left defenseless."

"That doesn't make it your decision to make!" Fluttershy angrily exclaimed and flung his arm free in frustration as she glared at him, folding her forelegs across her chest. "How can you be so heartless as to decide that you're going to kill something that you're obviously stronger than?"

Heartless. How appropriate a term to use to describe him. Perhaps Fluttershy knew far more than she was letting on. Or perhaps she truly didn't know what she was talking about and was simply lashing out due to fury over his methodology.

Or perhaps it was anger with herself. Did she finally understand that she'd just wound up defending the same dragon that tried to kill not only her, but the ponies she was closest to? Did she understand how close they'd come to dying what was a very unpleasant death in _any_ world?

At least now he had his hand free again. Perhaps it was time to reveal the truth to these ponies and show them what they were truly dealing with.

"Because I truly am heartless by nature," Ulquiorra replied as he reached up to the top of his jacket to pull the zipper downward. "See for..." he paused and cast an aside glance to the west, "we have company."

It was at that moment that both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came into view and touched down for a landing near the rest of the group. Ulquiorra observed as each of the ponies gave a respective bow to their leaders, even the greatly angered Fluttershy seemed to have the sense to observe whatever protocol was in place. He himself remained standing and simply pocketed his hands.

"Rise my little ponies," Princess Celestia spoke softly, casting him a glance before turning her attention to Twilight Sparkle. "What news do you have to report, my most faithful student?"

"Mission accomplished, Princess, Fluttershy managed to make the dragon leave and Equestria is safe once again," Twilight spoke proudly.

"And is that all there is to report? Nothing out of the ordinary happened?" Princess Celestia asked. "No unexpected developments occurred?"

Twilight was started to feel a sense of nervousness. What was Princess Celestia asking about? Did she suspect something? Was she displeased and looking for answers in order to determine if somepony was guilty of something in order to hoof out judgement?

"The dragon was awake."

Twilight blinked and looked over at Ulquiorra as he spoke in a calm and collected manner, showing absolutely no regard for royalty or tradition. But at the moment she couldn't muster the concern to care about that.

"By the time we arrived the dragon was already awake and quite hostile toward your subjects and attacked them. It was necessary to intervene in order to fulfill your original orders issued upon our first meeting. To not harm your subjects includes both direct actions that could amount to harm, or indirect action that would reasonably allow for harm to come by not directly interfering to prevent harm," Ulquiorra explained.

Princess Celestia frowned some. If Ulquiorra had disobeyed her orders and attacked the dragon as he'd intended to do back at Canterlot castle then it would've been one thing. Instead his actions had been defensive in nature and his attack was in response to provocation. She wasn't entirely certain what to think at the moment. However before she could go too deep into thought the others began addressing her.

"You shoulda seen it Princess it was awesome! The dragon never stood a chance against Ulqy!" Pinkie stated.

"Yeah first the dragon tried burning him and he just walked outta the flames like a boss and wasn't even singed," Rainbow Dash added.

"An' then he stomped on tha' dragon's head an' knocked it ta the ground, then had 'em held by the snout like he was wranglin' a bull wit' a ring through its nose," Applejack added.

"And then the dragon tried to smash him like he was a walnut and Ulqy just stood their like this," Pinkie paused to rear up on her hind legs and extend her left foreleg above her head, doing her best to imitate his permanent frown, "and stopped the dragon's claw from ever touching the ground! It was like hoofwrestling or something! It was so cool!" she squealed.

"It was an incredibly barbaric display," Rarity commented, "but at the same time I can't remember seeing anything so knightly in nature. To think one would put themselves in harms way to protect us from a dragon. Oh it was just so marvelous!" she stated and shivered.

"Well now. It would seem you all had a very big day," Princess Celestia spoke as she looked around at each of them and back at Ulquiorra. They were all quite excited while he remained unmoved and stone faced as ever. "The others have spoken fondly of you. Do you have anything you'd like to contribute?"

"I do," Ulquiorra replied. If Princess Celestia was expecting kindness and tact from him simply because of a few glowing reviews by her loyal subjects then she was about to be sorely disappointed. "In my time spent with your subjects on this mission I have reached the conclusion that placing the safety of Equestria on their shoulders is the most idiotic concept that could possibly be imagined. If it was your decision to do such then you are without doubt the most foolish one I have ever met and would question the wisdom of your rule of Equestria. Without intervention these six would have been summarily devoured and the country would be plunged into toxic darkness."

"Ulquiorra!" Twilight shouted in response to hearing what he was saying. How _dare_ he address Princess Celestia in such an unacceptable manner?

"Had circumstances been different you would have issued these six their death warrant. They stood no chance of victory in the up front confrontation that arose. They were outclassed in every respect and aware of the fact," Ulquiorra continued.

Princess Celestia's frown was deepening, as were the frowns and displeasure of every other pony that was present. They didn't seem to care to hear the truth. Even now he could see Rainbow Dash's wings twitching as she prepared to deploy them, most likely to fly at him and launch a verbal assault over how he was wrong to look down on her and the others. But she never got the chance as he continued speaking.

"That said, despite being aware of how hopeless the situation was they still did not hesitate to launch a rescue attempt when they believed it was needed," he stated. That seemed to temper the hostility he was presented with. That would allow him to continue in relative peace. "They chose to engage the dragon in direct combat because they believed I was in danger regardless of the unlikelihood of their succeeding. I must say it was an impressive display. And regardless of their efforts being unnecessary I must express some measure of gratitude for their consideration and loyalty."

"Aw yeah!" Rainbow Dash stated and leaped off the ground to throw her forelegs up into the air. "We're awesome!"

"That doesn't change the fact that your endeavor was quite moronic in nature and a waste of your mana," Ulquiorra countered. As expected previously Rainbow Dash was quickly in his face and displaying her hostility.

"Hey dude I saved your flank!" she shouted.

"My "flank" as you refer to it was never in any danger. While the dragon was indeed several times stronger than I originally believed it was still below my own level of strength, as demonstrated earlier. While my capture was unplanned I was perfectly capable of escaping on my own. I was simply allowing for a safe distance to be reached to ensure none of you were harmed. Had I responded prematurely there's a good chance you six would've been buried alive in a cave in," he explained calmly.

Despite the logic of his words they didn't seem to be registering with Rainbow Dash. She was currently attempting to burn a hole through him with her stare as if she were Fluttershy. However she lacked the yellow pegasi's qualities and her efforts were lackluster.

And after a minute of attempting to cut through his own stare with hers it seemed she was slowly realizing that she wasn't cut out for this as she began to back down as she grew visibly uncomfortable.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had been reluctantly silent at Ulquiorra's words and interactions since their arrival. His words had been most unkind about them and their subjects and how matters were addressed in Equestria. For the most part they could be tolerated, he was a stranger in a strange land after all, he still needed time to adjust to his new surroundings. But the stare down with Rainbow Dash and Twilight trying to scold/lecture him and being ignored was too much and it became time to intervene in order to restore some degree of harmony.

"Is there anything _else_ to add?" Princess Celestia asked, hoping to distract all parties before they quite possibly came to blows.

"Indeed," Ulquiorra replied and turned his attention away from Rainbow Dash in order to address her directly. "Upon the start of this mission I assumed your trust in Fluttershy had been misplaced. The entire way up here she displayed extreme fear and a strong desire to be anywhere else. Her fear of dragons is significant and I doubted the validity of what you were saying. However I was quite surprised when I witnessed her successfully make the dragon flee from this mountain range, while at the same time exercising far more understanding and kindness than I would be willing to do myself. She even went so far as to defend the dragon when I concluded it was far too dangerous to allow it to continue living due to the hostility it had displayed up to that point. Even after it tried to kill those that are considered her "friends" she still chose to believe it deserved to live. I can't begin to understand why."

"Ooh! Ooh! And you should've seen what he did up to that point! Twilight was throwing boulders at the dragon to keep it from eating Ulqy and Dashie, then the dragon was like "ROAR!" and came charging us, and then Ulqy got in front of it and made it stop in midair and then punched it out!" Pinkie rambled loudly, the words flowing from her mouth so fast it was almost all blending together.

"I don't even want to _think_ of how many laws of physics Ulquiorra broke in the course of a few minutes," Twilight groaned and hung her head.

"And then he... hey Mr. Cifer wha' was tha' thing ya were doin' tha' Fluttershy stopped?" Applejack asked as she turned back to face him. "When ya did that thing ah could feel somethin' like lightnin' runnin' up an' down mah spine."

"The technique is referred to as "Cero." It is a blast of highly concentrated reiryoku, similar to but more powerful than the Bala technique I used to distract the dragon the first time around," Ulquiorra explained before turning his attention to the now grounded Fluttershy, the look in her eyes nowhere near as intense as it had been. "Had you attempted to block my Cero directly with your body you would have been incinerated. It is quite fortunate you merely altered my aim instead. I'm still curious at to how you managed such a feat."

"Ya'll shoulda seen it. He sucker punched the dragon right in the gut an' brought it down right quick," Applejack whispered.

Fluttershy seemed to shrink under his gaze and his words, her own rage seemingly burned off, her reiatsu level nowhere near as high as it had been just a minute ago. Were all of these ponies prone to such random and unpredictable fluctuations in the pressure exerted by their reiryoku?

"I just... I couldn't just stand back and let that poor dragon get hurt anymore than he was. Not when I saw the look in his eyes, all the pain, and the fear... and all the... despair... It just... it just seemed so... heartless..." Fluttershy all but whispered in response.

Again with the term. As well as her noting of the dragon seeing despair when facing him. This was starting to seem like too much of a coincidence. At present time he was uncertain just what grand plan Twilight Sparkle might have in mind but he didn't care. The time for this deception, this "foreign dignitary" charade, was over. It was now time for them to find out what he truly was and understand what they were dealing with.

"As I attempted to explain earlier I am heartless due to it being my nature. See for yourself," he said as he reached up to the collar of his jacket and drew down the zipper.

They all watched as Ulquiorra removed his long tailed jacket to reveal his frame underneath. He was indeed scrawny as Applejack observed, yet his entire build was covered in a toned muscular structure, the same chalky off-white as his face and hands. A large black **4** in an archaic font was on the left side of his muscular chest... with a large gaping hole set right in the middle of his chest; a hole that ran clean through to his back as they observed when his jacket fell to the ground and let the light shine through. The silence at the reveal was enough that one could hear a pin drop.

"Oh... my..."

Much to everypony's surprise -if they were indeed listening- the squeaky statement hadn't come from Fluttershy but rather Princess Celestia who stood there with her mouth hanging open. She'd seen such when she'd scanned Ulquiorra's mind and memories, but this was her first actual seeing of the hole possessed by a Hollow. She'd assumed that when Discord had brought Ulquiorra to this dimension his body had been changed in a way that was suited for life in Equestria but she could see that she'd assumed wrong.

Twilight stood silent, her mind racing with questions and her eyes nearly going as big as the hole in Ulquiorra's chest as he stood there as if nothing was wrong. How could he have a hole completely through his chest and be fine? The placement of that hole meant so many serious health complications! No heart for circulation of blood, no spinal column to support his lower body, a severely compromised ribcage, no direct passageway to the stomach, and countless other matters regarding biological impossibilities presented by this development. The world around her was spinning as she found herself feeling incredibly lightheaded.

There was a thud as Twilight fainted and hit the ground, not that any of them really noticed.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Seventeen**

"Mr. Cifer... jus' wha' in tarnation _are_ ya?" Applejack asked when she finally found her voice. This was... was... she really didn't know what it was or what to think!

"I wouldn't exactly be that blunt but I'd like to know that myself," Rarity added. This new development was a great deal to take in. She was really surprised that Twilight had fainted, usually that was hers and hers alone to do.

"In simple terms you'd all be readily familiar with I could be described as a ghost," Ulquiorra replied. He noted the "eep" sound that only Fluttershy had the voice to produce, however he paid it no mind before continuing. "In more detailed terms, I'm a Hollow. An earthbound spirit that has remained in the world of the living for too long and succumbed to corruption, transforming into a wild, instinct driven beast that devours the souls of others in an attempt to fill the void created by the loss of their heart."

Of the seven that remained conscious there were looks of horror on the faces of the five mortal ponies as the news reached their ears. Even the brash Rainbow Dash bore a look of terror at hearing the truth of the matter. However that was no reason for him to stop informing them about the extent of the matter.

"When a soul becomes a Hollow their body reforms, their heart forming their mask to protect the wild instinct they devolve into, resulting in a hole in their structure where their heart used to be," he explained and traced a finger along the cavity in his chest for emphasis. "Among the Hollow race there are three levels of evolution. Gillian, Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde, each more powerful and more dangerous than the last. Each level is achieved through the devouring of many hundreds or thousands of fellow Hollows. I am currently of Vasto Lorde status."

The looks of horror only seemed to increase as the details sank in and their pony minds comprehended what they were being told; he'd just freely admitted to having readily devoured his own kind to evolve and become what they were currently seeing before them.

Rarity was the first to react and in what was likely the most appropriate manner, gagging and promptly vomiting on the ground where she stood.

Applejack was visibly the most horrified by what she'd heard, even moreso than Fluttershy was. "Twilight was right... ya really _are_ a monster..."

"If you're expecting me to launch an attempt to justify my actions, and assure you that I present no threat to your well being, then you're going to be sorely disappointed. There is no point in denying the facts of who and what I am, and what I've done in the past, both of my own volition and under the orders of others," Ulquiorra replied. He knew that he could inform Applejack and the others of his promise to Princess Celestia to not harm her subjects. But if Princess Celestia didn't fully trust him he saw no reason why they would either. It would be a waste of effort on his part, and he didn't feel inclined to engage in it.

Applejack's entire frame was trembling now. Ulquiorra was a... a murderer and a... a cannibal! And worse than that he'd been in her house and around her _family!_ They'd all been in danger, showing him what their hospitality was like. Her brother, her granny and her little sister, all of them! Right now her stomach was threatening to rebel and empty itself on the ground, much as Rarity's had, but she'd managed to choke the reaction back down where it belonged.

"You could've turned the whole town into soul stew!" Pinkie shouted and broke the silence.

As much as the others hated to admit it, she'd easily summed up the nature of their fears and concerns in one tidy -if gruesome- sentence. This entire time the whole of Ponyville could've been killed off and there would've been nothing they could've done to stop it; certainly not after seeing how he'd laid into that dragon not ten minutes ago.

"Despite the stupidity of your statement you're quite accurate. I could have indeed killed everyone in the town of Ponyville and devoured their souls if I was so inclined, I don't deny that. However I am not so inclined. At my current level of evolution the consumption of souls is nothing more than a useless indulgence. Furthermore, Princess Celestia has seen fit to place me under her rule and ordered me not to do anything to harm her subjects in any way," Ulquiorra replied.

"And just why should we be inclined to trust you after all we've just learned about your nature?" Rarity asked from her new spot, trying not to let the smell of her own mess sicken her any further. It was bad enough she'd been sick in such an undignified manner, but right in front of everypony as well?

Ulquiorra said nothing at first, simply reaching down and scooping up a stone in his left hand. Finally after a long pause he began speaking again.

"Just as the dragon was many times stronger than all of you, I was many times stronger than it, to the point I could have easily killed it from the very beginning if I'd been inclined to do so," he stated, letting the words sink in before continuing further, "The situation is no different for myself. I have seen Princess Celestia's strength, or at least a measurable percentage of it. The differences in our strength is vast. If she were to find displeasure with me and flare her full strength, I would be crushed under the pressure her magical force exerts on the surrounding area," he stated, the entire time slowly tightening his grip on the stone until until it cracked and shattered in his grip. He opened his hand, allowed the powderized fragments to fall freely and be scattered like dust in the wind.

Each of the conscious ponies looked at Ulquiorra and then back to Princess Celestia in a state of disbelief, their minds trying to process the information, as well as the symbolism of the display. The notion that he could so easily be crushed by their ruler, just like the stone in their hand -especially after seeing how he'd so easily dominated the dragon, and while doing so with only one limb at a time no less- was both chilling and at the same time reassuring; reassuring in that their ruler was looking out for their wellbeing and would punish anyone or anything that would try to hurt them, yet chilling to think about if they ever decided to be bad little ponies. A group shudder definitely didn't go unnoticed.

"And just _why_ should we believe you anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked bluntly, not swayed by his display or his words.

The pegasi's stubbornness didn't surprise him one bit. It would've been more surprising if she _had_ simply accepted him just like that. "What you should and shouldn't do isn't a matter for me to decide," he replied simply, glancing back to the Princesses in a manner that they could follow.

Princess Celestia observed as she was put on the spot, her subjects looking to her for answers and reassurances, while Ulquiorra left the matter in her hooves rather than trying to explain it himself. A wise decision really... she just wished it'd occurred before this incident had gone so wrong.

"From what I gather, Ulquiorra _did_ save you, my little ponies. Twice if I recall," Princess Celestia gently reminded them as they looked toward her for guidance. This was one of the situations she desperately wanted to avoid in his introduction. She'd wanted to avoid the panic that would be experienced if his nature was found out. But sadly it seemed it was unavoidable now. Now it was purely a matter of damage control and attempting to prevent panic from spreading any further than these five. "I know that this is quite a shock for you all. This is one of the reasons I wasn't entirely convinced that Ulquiorra should come with you on this mission, despite the benefits that could be had if he witnessed Fluttershy's kindness working wonders in a manner he's never seen before," she explained softly.

"We too had our reservations due to his utter rudeness and contempt for royal decorum," Princess Luna stated and hmphed. However after a moment she turned back to address them in a gentler tone. "But if he were not dispatched thou wouldst likely be dead now, according to thee's own accounts. If Ulquiorra Cifer were truly intent upon causing harm we wouldst wager a hefty sum that he would hath simply let the dragon do as it pleased and not interfered. And the fact that he didst indeed show restraint when he regarded it as a threat to the wellbeing of Equestria... well... doth we need say more?"

It was quiet again as Princess Luna finished speaking. None of the ponies seemed to have any complaints to raise, at least not immediately so. The main commotion that could be heard was the whistling of the wind and the scraping of hooves against dirt as Rarity tried to bury her mess in a discrete manner.

None of them -not even Ulquiorra- knew how much time had passed before there was a groan from behind them as Twilight began to come around after her fainting spell.

"Okay that does it," the groaned as she tried to sit back up again, "no more rose petals on my pizza, they give me nightmares."

Princess Celestia couldn't help but chuckle at her student's choice of opening statement for regaining consciousness. Determining that the situation wasn't about to go immediately catastrophic she stepped over and gently brushed her cheek against her student's. "Nightmares again?" she asked.

Twilight smiled at the contact, not even having to open her eyes to know just who it was. "Like you wouldn't believe. I dreamt that Ulquiorra had a huge gaping hole in his chest that went all the way through," Twilight explained as she finally opened her eyes to try and let them shift and adjust. "That's really so ridiculous don't you think? Nopony could possibly... have... a..." she slowed and paused as she looked around and laid her eyes on the shirtless Ulquiorra, a hole going all the way through his chest. She _hadn't_ been dreaming! "That's not physically possible!" she yelled and jumped up in surprise.

Granted nothing about Ulquiorra really seemed to be physically possible when she stopped to think about it, but the hole in his chest was the final straw and she couldn't take it anymore. Everything about him was wrong in this world. She'd wanted to study him in an in depth manner when she'd first met him, but now she was finding that idea less and less desirable. It'd be like trying to analyze Pinkie's weird Pinkie Sense all over again, but much worse. Studying Pinkie had resulted in her getting hit with a grand piano; what might happen this time around?

"Of all the things you've seen that defy your world's limited knowledge of physics, it's interesting that you take issue with the hole all Hollows possess," Ulquiorra commented as he watched Twilight Sparkle's unsteady attempts to stand herself back up.

"Everypony's got to start somewhere," Twilight reasoned as she stepped closer, "trust me there's so many things about you that don't truly make sense I don't even know where to begin _except_ with that hole..."

"Uh... Twilight," Applejack spoke up, "ah don' think the laws o' physics and whatnot were written with ghosts in mind. Afterall we ain' never encountered ghosts before, ah don' think anypony's ever actually seen a real ghost before, not even in the Everfree Forest."

Yesterday his observation concerning Applejack placed her intelligence somewhat above Ichigo Kurosaki back in his own world, because she recognized that she lacked answers to his questions and didn't deny the fact. And today she was the first to point out the fact he wasn't of this world would explain why Twilight Sparkle's understanding of physics couldn't properly explain what she'd seen with regard to the dragon. So far the earth pony was displaying a respectable level of intelligence.

However Twilight Sparkle seemed too detached to fully hear and comprehend what her earth pony companion was talking about at the moment. She was currently busy going on about how his "ghostly nature" wouldn't explain how he was fully capable of interacting with the surrounding physical structures encountered, or how he could so easily overpower a fully grown male dragon and not display any signs of physical strain while the surrounding territory was destroyed.

"Twilight darling," Rarity spoke up, "I truly understand how passionate you are about the science behind everything, but there's a more pressing matter you're unaware of. Ulquiorra has said he devours the souls of others," she stated and gestured over in his direction.

"Oh I know all about that. He told me the first day he came to Equestria," Twilight stated as if it were nothing, drawing the shocked reaction of every pony present excluding the Princesses.

Maybe she shouldn't have said that so openly.

"Ya mean ta tell us ya had that information this whole time an' ya didn' think ta tell us?" Applejack asked, the displeasure in her voice easily detectable at being left in the dark like she and the others had been. She'd been lied to in more ways than one, by one of the ponies she considered to be a good friend. What else had she been lying to them about and for how long? "Ya didn' think we deserved ta know that the _thing_ we been talkin' to an' havin' in our homes around our families might be dangerous!?"

"Yeah Twilight! If Ulqy made soul stew out of Ponyville there'd be nopony for me to throw parties for anymore, ever!" Pinkie added frantically.

The situation quickly descended into madness from there, Twilight Sparkle's friends quickly ganging up on her at her failure to share what they deemed vital information. She tried her best to reason with them, to explain that her actions had been in an effort to reduce redundant chatter by getting her friends together in an organized and private manner before revealing his true nature to them in an controlled environment, informing them as a group rather than giving each the full story one by one, and sharing with them details that the rest of the town didn't need to know about his true nature as it didn't directly involve them.

Her efforts at explaining seemed to do little good to quell the arguments. If anything some of the ponies present were shouting even louder now as she tried her best to make sense of everything. Even the guilt-ridden Fluttershy had seemed to join in the outrage. Looking past them he could see even the Princesses were becoming displeased with the way things were developing and spiraling out of control. And from what he could see Princess Luna had reached her tipping point and acted.

**"SILENCE!"** she bellowed in the Royal Canterlot voice, the booming echo stopping all the chatter and drawing their attention to her as she worked on composing herself before addressing them any further. "Doth not turn thine fury against Twilight Sparkle over her actions regarding the matter of Ulquiorra Cifer! T'was WE that directly involved her in this situation. Verily when we didst learn of Ulquiorra Cifer's past and the nature of his world we didst take pity on him and wish that he be shown the same consideration that we didst receive from thee upon our return," she explained in a passionate manner. "We were the one to put Twilight Sparkle in this difficult position and force her to make such a difficult choice. She is not to blame for what thou were and were not told."

Princess Celestia had remained silent during her sister's speech, weighing her options of when best to contribute something. And right now seemed like as good a time as any.

"I had my own concerns when I first met Ulquiorra and learned about who and what he was. I worried about the wellbeing of all my little ponies and what could come from the presence of... him... and what might happen whenever he might venture beyond Canterlot palace," she said and grimaced slightly while talking. Glancing over she could see Ulquiorra still standing there emotionless as always despite the discussion being about him. Undaunted she continued speaking. "Nevertheless I want you all to know and understand something that's very important. What I saw of Ulquiorra's past I could see nothing to indicate that he was truly evil. Some of his actions were certainly... distasteful in nature... but many of them were the result of following direct orders from someone higher up, someone that I dare say was far _worse_ than Nightmare Moon _and_ Discord during the early days..."

There was a shared gasp between the six at these words. None of them had apparently given much consideration to the possibility of someone from another dimension being a greater threat than anything they themselves had encountered in the past. Even Princess Luna seemed disturbed. Based on his readings regarding Equestria's history Ulquiorra could hazard an educated guess that Princess Celestia's description of Aizen was indeed accurate. There was a reason the Hollows that served him out of fear were motivated to do such.

"Worse... worse than Discord?" Rainbow Dash asked hesitantly, "no foaling?"

"Much worse I'm afraid. This... Sosuke Aizen as he was referred to, was a being of indescribable evil and treachery, the depth of which I couldn't properly ascertain. He dethroned the previous ruler of Ulquiorra's world as if it were nothing upon first arriving. Not even Discord's corrupting influence could really compete with how he gained followers and held power," Princess Celestia explained hesitantly. This was definitely an unpleasant subject to discuss and she really hadn't wanted to talk about it, not when Ulquiorra first arrived and certainly not now. But her most precious student and her friends were in the midst of panicking and disharmony, and she knew she had to do something.

Granted she was exaggerating a few points for their benefits. She just wished she could say she was exaggerating far more than she was. Ulquiorra's world was indeed a frightening place to contemplate.

"...That's not all either," Twilight hesitantly spoke up, distracting her friends from whatever they were busy thinking... or trying not to think. Slowly she made her way over to where Ulquiorra stood and took up a position beside him. "What I have to tell you, a lot of it you're not going to believe. There are points that you're going to possibly be terrified by... but I believe it's important enough it needs to be heard."

Ulquiorra listened as Twilight Sparkle launched into an extensive and considerably detailed recollection of events and facts as she'd been made aware of them herself, along with her own theories of explanation for events that didn't fully make sense. His ability to sustain himself on the naturally occurring mana of their world, Hollowfication and hierarchical structure of the species, definition of Arrancar and what it took to qualify as such, structural order and rule of the Espada, the role and purpose of the Shinigami and the Gotei 13, and Aizen himself and how he betrayed his own people in order to rule. He had to admit that her memory and attention to detail was remarkable, as even after three days of distractions she was recalling details he'd brought up on their first meeting.

However as he listened to her speak, he couldn't help but make observations of her manner of approach. Her delivery of details seemed to be structured in a manner that attempted to portray him in a positive light. According to her he was a victim of circumstances beyond his control and forced to do what he did in order to survive, forced to serve under the mortal enemy of his own race and quite possibly the one who allowed him to become a Hollow in the first place. It was hardly the most truthful recollection of events, certainly not a recount that he would ever give if asked. But he said nothing to correct her.

Throughout the lecture Twilight Sparkle presented, the faces of her friends displayed shock, fear, sadness, confusion, amazement, and more than once he couldn't help but note how Pinkie Pie's eyes seemed to spin in their sockets in a manner that suggested most of what she heard was going right over her head.

And then came the mention of Discord and his involvement in their entire situation. How he'd crossed the dimensional boundaries to bring him here, conveniently leaving out the fact that it was only after he'd died. He could only speculate about her reasoning for such.

Among the other details not shared included his explanation of Aizen's motives as he understood them. Perhaps Twilight Sparkle felt her friends couldn't handle the notion of one willing to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of lives for the mere purpose of forging a key, all for the purpose of carrying out a vendetta against a higher being?

Now that he thought about it, he'd rather not think about it. He instead redirected his attention back to Twilight Sparkle and her continued recollection.

"...And that brings us to what brought Ulquiorra to Sweet Apple Acres," Twilight finished before falling on her haunches and panting desperately for it. By the time she was done she'd been talking nonstop and uninterrupted for over forty five minutes. A rather amazing feat really.

At first it was nothing but silence apart from the occasional wind. Ulquiorra assumed it was simply the calm before the storm. However he never anticipated the storm that struck would be in the form of a pink earth pony moving at unbelievable speeds, and enveloping him in what would be an otherwise crushing force bear hug with both forelegs, trapping his arms at his sides.

"Oh Ulqy I'm _sooo_ sorry!" she more or less wailed as she clung to him. Trying to sonido out of her hold would prove useless as tightly as she was holding onto him.

"Mr. Cifer ah... ah reckon we owe ya a mighty big apology fer how we were treatin' ya jus' a little while ago," Applejack added, although her voice was hard to properly hear over Pinkie Pie's unabated crying.

Were these ponies truly foolish enough to believe that Twilight Sparkle's revelation of his past -colorful as it was by her recount- suddenly changed everything and it became necessary to adjust their perceptions and attitudes towards him? If that were the case then they were far closer to trash than he originally expected. He was a murderer. At one point he was a devourer of souls and Hollows alike. To him, killing was business as usual and his to do if it was necessary. And yet they were treating him as if he were a victim of some unspeakable tragedy in need of comfort and forgiveness. These ponies were as foolish as the human woman was. How could they believe that he was in need of mercy? It was completely illogical...

_"I'm afraid I can't give an explanation that'll make sense in terms of basic logic, because the heart in this matter isn't logical by nature. It's like trying to describe friendship in scientific terms. It's something that has to be experienced rather than studied in an academic sense," Celestia replied. Ulquiorra didn't appear convinced. "Over the centuries there've been a great many scholars who've attempted to explain the condition of the heart and how it drives us to do things our brains tell us are illogical. Because of our hearts we do things we normally wouldn't do because it feels right; or simply because it feels wrong to not act in such a manner. It's... very complicated."_

_"So it would appear," Ulquiorra replied as he went back to scanning the pages of the book in his hands._

Again with matters of the heart. It seemed even in this world he couldn't get away from such an illusive and illogical concept. Was this what motivated them to regard him with pity rather than fear? The same thing that made the woman pity him during his last moments in Hueco Mundo?

"You just wait and see Ulqy! I'm gonna throw you the biggest, absolutely bestest "Welcome to Equestria" party you or anypony else has ever seen, because if anypony deserves it it's definitely you!" Pinkie Pie stated as she continued clinging to him as if for dear life.

Perhaps it was a matter of malice rather than mercy that motivated them.

And perhaps they had decided to take this present course of action simply to make Twilight Sparkle shut up before she could get her second wind. That was a possibility he wouldn't doubt.

"I would settle for simply being released," he replied, finding it strange how the pink earth pony was so effortlessly keeping his arms restrained.

In terms of reiatsu she was a mystery, but she was equally curious in terms of physical strength. The earth pony Applejack worked hard on a farm and had developed a considerably muscular frame. This earth pony worked in a confectionery shop and had more fat on her frame than her counterpart. So why exactly was she so strong?

"Yer prob'ly not gonna get outta it that easy. Pinkie's quite determined when it comes ta throwin' her parties," Applejack stated. Regardless of who or what he was, Ulquiorra didn't stand much chance of avoiding a welcoming party thrown by Pinkie. Especially under these newly discovered circumstances of him literally being new to entire world, if not the entire universe in this dimension.

However that didn't mean she couldn't lend a helping hoof and try to pry Pinkie off of him. Being the recipient of one of those hugs the first time out was a lot to get used to.

"Oh my!" Rarity gasped, bringing the focus back to her, "I just realized something. As late as it is we'll never make it back to Ponyville before nightfall. And this mountain is right in the Everfree Forest. Girls I do believe we have a situation here," she pointed out.

The others quickly realized Rarity was quite right. Even if all of these sudden developments over the last hour hadn't occurred they still wouldn't likely have made it back to Ponyville before nightfall. They'd spent quite a bit of time getting up the mountain, and now getting down at this hour was going to be most unwise.

"Ah reckon we're gonna have ta set up camp an' spend the night," Applejack commented. "We can use the cave fer shelter in case it rains an' set out fer home tomorrow when the sun's up."

"You mean sleep outside on the hard and dirty ground like _animals_?" Rarity asked, repulsed by the idea of such a barbaric practice.

"Are you serious? Some of the best naps are had in the wide open outdoors!" Rainbow Dash stated.

His earlier observation of Rarity seemed the most accurate. All the complaining she hadn't done on the way up seemed threatening to spill out now that they were presented with the option of staying the night.

And the irony of her statement. An animal -intelligent as it was- objecting to the notion of sleeping on the ground like animals.

There was always the possibility of him directly intervening and taking them back to Ponyville himself. Carrying two at a time and using sonido would have them back at Ponyville in a matter of minutes and they could find their way home on their own before the sun fully set. But such a tactic was dangerous as he doubted their bodies could sufficiently withstand the journey at such high speeds. And considering they were one of Equestria's few available defenses, such a decision might not be wise if he intended to earn Princess Celestia's trust.

Fortunately there was an intervention by Princess Celestia before yet another argument broke out between all the parties involved. "You could always come back with us and spend the night in the palace and take the train back to Ponyville in the morning. It wouldn't be appropriate to just leave you to stay out here after all you've done."

"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly at the prospect. Ulquiorra noted the unusual flaring of her reiatsu once again. _All_ of them seemed to be experiencing a flaring of reiatsu levels at the prospect of spending time in Canterlot... all that is except for Fluttershy for some reason. Hers was strangely constant.

"Wait, what about Spike? He's back in Ponyville and probably worrying about us," Twilight Sparkle pointed out. "We should send him a letter letting him know about this development."

A letter? Was she expecting mail to travel at this time of day? He didn't see anything resembling a mailbox anywhere in the surrounding area.

"We have a better idea! We shalt go to Ponyville and fetch young Spike and bring him forth and meet thou at the palace," Princess Luna announced. "We shalt make a "slumber party" of the event."

"Slumber..." Twilight started at hearing Princess Luna's statement.

"...Party!" Pinkie finished. Immediately the two were side by side, forelegs wrapped around each other as they danced about on their hind legs, emitting excited squeals at the prospect in the most undignified manner Ulquiorra ever saw them engage in. "This is gonna be so awesome!"

The quiet sigh/groan and facehoofing by Rainbow Dash didn't go unnoticed by Ulquiorra, although he seemed to be the only one who did.

"Um... actually... if it's alright with everypony I think I'd rather go back to Ponyville and look after everyone's critters instead," Fluttershy spoke up, her voice raising only a few levels but surprisingly it was enough for everyone present to hear her.

"Really?" Twilight asked curiously as she untangled herself from Pinkie's embrace. The curiosity of the situation currently overriding her excitement of a slumber party with her friends at the palace. "Why?"

"Yeah Fluttershy, getting to spend the night at the palace is awesome!" Rainbow Dash stated.

"It's because of me," Ulquiorra stated, bringing everyone's attention back to him now. "Ever since my nature was made aware I've noticed Fluttershy's level of courage dropping steadily. All of you were affected by the news that I'm technically a ghost, however she has taken the news worst. The most logical conclusion available is to assume she has no desire to be around me because of this fact," he explained. Slowly he turned his gaze back to Fluttershy who was busy hiding behind Rarity at the moment, or at least trying to. "Am I correct?"

It was very small, almost imperceptible even to him, but the nod was there. She was indeed afraid of him being a ghost. So far she seemed to have the most sense out of the lot of them. The others looked at a predator and saw someone in need of a friend. Fluttershy looked at the same predator and saw something to be concerned by. Perhaps that's why her special talent was animals.

And perhaps that was why she had made an effort to protect the dragon from his Cero despite the fact it had tried to kill her and the others; because she recognized that _he_ was the top predator of the situation.

Her own guilt over failing the task assigned by Princess Celestia was likely also a driving force behind her actions. Perhaps she didn't wish to be at the palace because it would require being in such close proximity.

"Hey so what?" Rainbow Dash as she hovered off the ground to better face him. Ulquiorra could tell she was looking for something to fight about and defending Fluttershy seemed to be the convenient option. "So what if Fluttershy _is_ afraid of you for being a ghost? That's no reason to be mean about it!"

He felt tempted to roll his eyes in response to her statement. He had done nothing that would be considered mean or rude in nature regarding Fluttershy's well placed apprehension of him. She was the only one to see him for what he truly was apart from Princess Celestia. Perhaps he should amend his earlier observation about which ponies possess a uniqueness that would warrant further investigation.

Right now the best way to deal with Rainbow Dash was to ignore her and deny her the bickering that she seemed to crave. Instead of addressing her he turned to pick his jacket up off the ground and put it back on, the display of his rank and Hollow hole serving no further purpose beyond this point.

"Jerk," Rainbow Dash muttered and folded her forelegs across her chest.

"If there art no new business we shalt depart and escort dear Fluttershy home, and return to the palace with young Spike," Princess Luna said, taking the opportunity to excuse herself and stepping over to the butter yellow pegasus before they both disappeared.

"Now would probably be a good time to return to the castle as well," Princess Celestia commented. "Is everypony ready?"

"Not quite," Ulquiorra replied in stark contrast to the cheers of excitement and acceptance the others were giving. "Before we leave there is business to tend to."

Business? What kind of business could Ulquiorra be referring to that was preventing them from departing? Princess Celestia was just about to ask that question but was stopped by the sight of a familiar green glow coming from his fingertip. And they knew from experience that glow meant only one thing; he was getting ready to discharge a Cero blast.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Princess Celestia asked in a tone that left no doubt about it being a demand rather than a simple question. She was expecting an answer regarding his actions.

"Taking care of business," Ulquiorra replied and discharged his Cero without so much as a second thought.

Everypony had feared the worst when they saw he was charging his Cero, subconsciously worrying about what he'd do with it, who he might be turning his fury again. So it was only natural to be surprised when his aim had been for none of them but the cave itself, the beam hurtling through the mouth and effortlessly tearing through the roof, an explosion going off inside as the ground shook violently; violently enough for the entire cave to collapse in on itself and be left as nothing more than a pile of uninhabitable rubble.

"With the cave now destroyed no dragon can put Equestria at threat in the same manner again," Ulquiorra elaborated and slipped his hand back into his pocket. "Business is concluded."

"I've _got_ to learn how he does that," Twilight stated to herself in a whispered tone.

The cave was leveled just like that. Anything that'd been left in there was buried and inaccessible now. He'd kicked the dragon's flank like it was nothing, brought down the cave with a single blast of his Cero, and pulled off one of the best one liners ever. That was just... so...

Pomf!

"Oh come on! _Again_!?"

"Really darling you _should_ look into how to control that," Rarity commented, finding some measure of humor in it all.

Princess Celestia tried not to laugh. First the horror of having that frightening attack blow right past her and completely level the cave behind her, nearly scaring her bladder control right out of her in the process, and now Rainbow Dash's little...it was all too much for her as tired as she was. She was positive that when she was more awake in the morning she was going to be quite upset with everything that had transpired on this day. But first she had to actually get there.

_"Now_ is everyone ready to go?" she asked. Getting no objections she cast the the teleportation spell, transporting the entire lot of them back toCanterlot palace. She had the distinct feeling that the excitement of the day was nowhere near being over just yet.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Eighteen**

"If Hollows are souls then wha' was yer species before?"

"How's your sonido work?"

"How can your lower body function and keep you upright with no spine in the area of your Hollow hole when it clearly cuts through the most vital location of your body?"

"Do any of the Espada know how to party?"

"How come somepony as awesome as you isn't the lead Espada? What're the others like?"

"By any chance do you happen to know what the current fashion in Las Noches is?"

"You can actually _transform_!? Cool! What do you look like when you do?"

"How exactly does your pesquisa work? Is it something any of us can learn to do?"

"So these "Shinigami" have zanpakutō's like yours? How do you tell them apart?"

"What's that term you used when the dragon tried to set you on fire but couldn't do it?"

"You can eat mana? What's it taste like? Is it good on ice cream?"

"So there's millions of Hollows in this Hueco Mundo place and three Shinigami just waltz in and take over the place just like that? Seriously?"

"So you mean you _punched_ the dragon right in the chest and it just toppled over in pain? And it was actually bleeding from getting punched?"

"It jus' don' sit right with me, a scrawny fella like ya being so much stronger than Big Macintosh. How'd ya get ta be so strong?"

"So what are the mechanics behind your air walking ability? And how'd you manage to generate sufficient friction and resistance to overcomes the dragon's weight-to-lift ratio of its wings and bring it to a complete halt?"

"Do you ever hear any of the other Hollows in there trying to talk to you or each other about stuff?"

"What do you mean there's no sun in Heuco Mundo? How does anything grow there?"

"So this "hollowfication" process that souls undergo restructures their body, and repurposes their heart to form their mask to shield themselves. If that's the case, then why does the surrounding bodily tissue in the chest area that surrounds the heart form the cavity?"

Those were just _some_ of the questions he'd been subjected to upon the return to Canterlot palace. Why Princess Celestia and Princess Luna couldn't escort the ponies back to Ponyville just as had been done with Fluttershy, was beyond his understanding.

He was apparently the subject of great interest despite everything Twilight Sparkle had told them. Whatever measure of fear they had beforehand was completely overridden by curiosity once they arrived back at the castle. Spike's arrival and learning of his exploits had only complicated the matter, and he was questioned from six different directions over the course of three long hours, questions ranging from the serious to the insane, asking anything that could be thought of that he might have answers to. Questions that he was apparently expected to answer due to his knowledge on the subject.

It was a long three hours standing in place.

At the moment though he was blissfully free of the curious ponies and their unending stream of questions. The late hour had contributed to most of them turning in for the night, and those that had chosen to remain behind and awake were thankfully silenced by Princess Celestia informing them that it was time to retire.

Even if they were all currently awake, and currently hunting him down, he had little to be concerned about. Currently he stood atop one of the roofs to the palace, looking out over the horizon of the surrounding area, content in the knowledge that none of the ponies would be able to find him.

"Hey U.C. Dude!"

Correction. _Almost_ none of the ponies would be able to find him. It seemed the annoying Rainbow Dash wasn't tired enough to the point of actually leaving him alone. How she managed to locate him was something of a mystery as he hadn't seen or felt her anywhere. Then again he hadn't felt particularly compelled to watch for her. Right now she was approaching him from behind. Perhaps if he ignored her she'd grow bored and leave; she did seem like the type that possessed a short attention span after all.

"Dude?"

Or perhaps she'd hover in front of his face and wave her foreleg about in an annoying effort to tell if he were awake or not, looking to see if he was blinking or giving any other signs of being conscious.

"U.C.?"

And perhaps she would get close to his face, close enough their noses were just about touching as she looked into his teal green eyes for any signs of life.

"My name is Ulquiorra," he stated firmly, the sudden signs of consciousness eliciting a startled yelp from the cyan pegasus as she flew back in surprise. "I am neither "U.C." nor "Dude" as you insist on referring to me. And I am certainly _not_ known as "Ulqy" as the pink earth pony insists on addressing me by."

The initial shock was unfortunately not enough to keep the pegasus away from him, as once she recovered from the initial shock she was back hovering disturbingly close to him; in this case just outside of his arm's maximum reach.

"Yeah... well... your name really isn't easy to remember, or pronounce," Rainbow Dash pointed out. She folded her forelegs across her chest while resting her chin on her left hoof in thought. "The... Espada, they've got ranks like a military force or any other organization. Maybe I could just refer to you by your rank? You know... like calling somepony Colonel or General or something?" she suggested.

Not an entirely unacceptable suggestion. It was certainly better than the alternative being used by several of the other ponies who couldn't seem to understand how he preferred being addressed.

"It is acceptable," he replied and went back to watching the horizon. However Rainbow Dash showed no signs of leaving. "You obviously didn't go through the effort of finding me simply to discuss title or address. What do you want?" he asked bluntly.

"Aizen."

Had she even given any thought to what she said before she opened her mouth to speak? Most likely not. However it was only a moment before she began speaking.

"I don't get it, I really don't. You said this Aizen character and his two lackeys, whatever their names were, you said they were these "Shinigami" things that're enemies to Hollows, are directly responsible for Hollows being created by leaving souls stranded in the living world where they're most vulnerable, and they kill Hollows when they find them. So why exactly did you work for somepony... body... _thing_ that's your enemy by every single definition?"

She was no longer hovering in a stationary position. She looked like she was pacing back and forth in her hovering.

"I mean... three Shinigami defect from their own group, whatever the hay it was called, head to Hueco Mundo or wherever, waltz in like they own the place, take over the place and nopony... no Hollow raises a hoof or claw or whatever in protest? That's just seriously, _seriously_ wrong," she said as she stopped in front of him and turned to face him. "You said you've killed before, right? As tasteless as it is to me and the rest of the girls to even consider... well... why didn't you kill them on sight? How do you know they weren't there to wipe out every last Hollow they saw?"

He had been asked _many_ questions since his arrival here in this dimension. Many of them were foolish in nature and didn't warrant an answer. So far only a handful of questions, mostly those asked by Twilight Sparkle, were intelligent in nature and seemed worthwhile giving a proper answer to.

However in the case of Rainbow Dash hers was a very valid question. She hadn't pressed him on anything concerning the physics of his dimension and how he could do the things he did, but rather the basic predator/prey nature of the current structural order of Heuco Mundo.

"Most Hollows that serve Aizen do so out of respect or fear for his power. It's not known precisely how a Shinigami became so strong, it's only known that he did. He exerts bravery in a world dominated by fear and predation. One could say he was recognized as the top predator of the food chain," Ulquiorra explained. The matter was far more complex than that but it was likely the pegasi's mind couldn't comprehend the finer details and he saw no point in wasting his time simply to be told she couldn't properly follow him.

"I don't see you as being the kind who's really afraid of anything," Rainbow Dash commented.

"As I said _most_ Hollows. Those that don't fall into either of the above mentioned categories chose to serve Aizen out of gratitude for what he did to them. The Primera Espada-"

"You mean Starrk?"

"-Correct. He chose to serve Aizen because he could grant him an end to his loneliness, introducing him to Hollows that wouldn't crumble to dust simply by being in his presence."

"... What about you specifically? How'd this double crosser Aizen get you?" Rainbow Dash asked after a pause. "You don't seem like the type who wanted friends. What was it?"

She could be quite perceptive. But at the same time she could be quite nosy. Regardless of what she was, she was annoying. There was no denying that fact.

"Hueco Mundo is an expansive wasteland, nothingness stretches on for hundreds of miles in every direction. There's no warmth, no pleasant sights, no friendship or happiness, no reason to justify one's continued existence other than simply existing. When Aizen found me he gave me a reason to justify my existence. He gave me a purpose to live for and succeed at. Suddenly my life had meaning. There was no longer nothingness before me," he explained calmly.

"And you didn't have any problem with being his pawns? To be used and sacrificed at his whim simply because he believed he didn't need you anymore?" Rainbow Dash asked him. However she waited barely a second before continuing. "That doesn't... I don't know... sit uneasy with you? Knowing that the one who gave you a purpose could take it all away just for kicks?"

"Ultimately it was our purpose, even if it doesn't make sense to you. It is the reason for which the Espada were originally assembled. We were all aware of that fact from the beginning," Ulquiorra replied. "We were Aizen's to do with as he pleased. If he believed sacrificing us would best suit his purposes then it was our obligation to fulfill his orders..."

He was greeted by utter silence in response. Rainbow Dash seemed to have nothing to say in response despite opening her mouth several times as if trying to vocalize a point but no point came. All that was heard was blissful night time silence.

At least for a minute.

"Loyalty huh?" she asked as she set down on the roof not too far away from him.

"Indeed," he replied simply.

More silence. But not nearly as long as the last time.

"Looks like we both understand how it's not all it's cracked up to be..."

_That_ was of interest. He didn't expect such a statement to come from the one who bore the Element of Loyalty. One of the other Espada would certainly think nothing of making such a statement, or even one of the lower class Arrancar that served Aizen even without being selected to fill the role of the Espada. At least one Arrancar came to mind immediately. But Rainbow Dash was most certainly no Arrancar, just a mere living pony.

He looked at her skeptically. Almost immediately her entire demeanor changed as if she'd been caught discussing top secret information. "Er... nevermind. I don't wanna talk about this," she stated quickly.

He looked down at where she currently sat with his skeptical gaze, noting as she flinched.

"If the matter was something you didn't want to talk about you wouldn't have brought it up in the first place even by accident. The very fact that you did would suggest it is something at the front of your mind and you're looking for any excuse to speak of it," he replied and continued his unblinking stare, causing her to flinch further. "If you have something to say then say it. Do not continue to waste my time by playing pointless games."

Rainbow Dash frowned in response. "You're as annoying as Twilight at times, you know that?" she asked in a manner even he could tell was rhetorical in nature. "Look... if I tell you about this is it gonna be in confidence or whatever? You're not gonna go running off to tell my friends or Princess Celestia that I said anything...right?" she asked.

"... During my time under Aizen's control there were many tasks I was charged with. However not one of them involved sharing secrets about my fellow Arrancar. Whatever you have to say I don't foresee it as being a matter that would warrant reporting."

It was a matter of truth that he never engaged in any "snitching" in Hueco Mundo. Primarily because he never had to as Aizen was quite aware of what was going on in his domain. However there was no reason to share that fact right now. What was most curious was why the pegasus wished to open up to him specifically.

The simple fact that his omission seemed enough to assure the pegasus that confidence would be maintained seemed to be what she was looking for. However, for whatever reason, she still insisted upon looking around as if someone were eavesdropping on her.

"... About a year ago there was an incident back in Ponyville. My... friends... felt that I was getting a little too boastful just because the townsponies were recognizing how awesome I was because of what I did. Saved a foal from a well, stopped a loaded carriage or two from going off the edge of a hill, saved some old folks from a falling balcony... you know, the standard hero stuff," she started. Seeing that he was listening quietly she continued. "So I started letting them know that they were right, that I was awesome and I was a hero. But my... friends... thought I was getting too full of myself or whatever. Rather than just talk to me about it, they decided that for whatever reason, I needed to be taught a lesson about my boasting, and concocted this elaborate scheme and created a ponysona known as "Mare Do Well" to show me up."

More silence from Ulquiorra. He wasn't even asking questions about what she was saying, like he was understanding everything as she laid it out. She didn't know whether to be thankful or weirded out. Either way she continued uninterrupted.

"Over the next couple of months my supposed friends, while in an elaborate disguise that only Rarity could create on such short notice, orchestrated an elaborate plot to prove to all of Ponyville that I wasn't as awesome as they thought I was. Applejack's incredible strength, Pinkie's ability to use her Pinkie sense to predict and intervene in tragedies, Twilight's control of magic, even Fluttershy's ability to fly. They crafted the image of an alicorn that was bent on stomping me into the ground in the most humble way imaginable, showing up to perform a heroic display whenever necessary and then disappear without a word being said. And when they weren't in costume and showing that together they were greater than me, they were talking up Mare Do Well like the greatest thing to come along since the Apple Family's legendary cider."

More silence from the Espada. While it allowed her to tell her story it was also annoying that it provided no distraction and instead left her to focus on the details exclusively. It was starting to get harder to share everything in a coherent manner.

"Scootaloo dismantled her fan club to me for Mare Do Well, Mayor Mare planned on honoring her as a hero, nopony even noticed me no matter what I did, and they wanted _me_ to honor Mare Do Well for all the good she'd done. And then I... then I found out who Mare Do Well was...and what they did... a-and why they did it... and they, they actually had the nerve to make it out like it was my fault and I deserved it and they... they..."

Ulquiorra observed her in silence as she told her story. It was hard to tell if the current difficulty she was experiencing was due to sadness or anger. She was experiencing some kind of choking difficulty from what he could tell. More curiously was how her reiatsu was starting to flare as she recalled the details of her story, her body trembling.

"They just make me so mad! Anytime anypony else was showing they were good at something they didn't concoct some plan to show them up and prove to the town that they were nothing special! We didn't try and prove to Pinkie that she's not the best at throwing parties, or show Applejack that the rest of us are better at applebucking than her, or prove to Rarity that she's not the best at fashion, buck we didn't even try to show Twilight that her magic isn't all that great. But when it comes to _me_, suddenly it's open season and it's alright to engage in trickery and make me look useless. Me of all ponies, one of the Elements of Harmony, they picked me to trick because the town finally recognized I was awesome! They went and pulled the awesome right out from under my hooves and they were supposed to be my friends!"

It was definitely anger currently. Despite only possessing roughly half her normal level of reiryoku right now it was exerting a considerable amount of reiatsu on the surrounding area. And it seemed to be increasing.

"Some days I can't even stand the sight of them, much less hanging around them after everything they put me through! They're supposed to be my friends, friends don't do that to each others! There's nothing funny about what they did, it was cruel! They made me feel like I wasn't worth anything, like no matter what I did there'd always be somepony better than me just waiting right around the corner to stomp all over everything I've worked so hard for! And then they laughed at me and everything I was going through! And then they had the nerve to expect everything to go right back to normal like I wasn't hurt or anything, like there was nothing wrong with what they did... I just want to hate them so much for everything they did!"

The swelling of her reiatsu had been steady but significant, seeming to pique at her last statement before dropping substantially, like a fever breaking.

"Some days are better than others. Some days I can pretend like everything's alright and we're alright. Other days not so much... sometimes I wish I was the Element of Honesty because then I could tell them exactly how I feel about them. But instead I'm stuck as the Element of Loyalty and I have to live with feeling betrayed by them. I can't even tell them how I feel because they're supposed to be my friends, and if you aren't loyal to your friends even when they're jerks then you wind up being loyal to nopony..." she paused. A long, long pause before finally continuing. "Making matters worse is we're the Elements of Harmony. How can we expect to be harmonious when we need to if I tell them how much they upset me with their little stunt? Equestria could be in danger if I do that. All I can do is swallow my anger and wear the mask of Rainbow Dash: lazy good for nothing weather pony obsessed with being the fastest, joining the Wonderbolts and napping whenever I can..."

He would never admit it to anyone that might ask. But Rainbow Dash's story had left him... mildly surprised after hearing it. The fact that this unassuming world possessed the same issues as the human world was... intriguing. He hadn't believed that this world was as peaceful as Princess Celestia would have him believe and it seemed he was quite correct in his suspicions. But now he had some measure of tangible proof, proof that not all was as it seemed. Beneath their abnormally colored coats and child-like personalities these ponies were just as ruthless and un-peaceful as any of the Espada.

This was a matter that truly warranted further investigation.

"You're... you're not gonna tell anypony about this... are you?"

His attention was drawn back to Rainbow Dash as she was now looking up at him. Her entire demeanor had changed in the course of less than a minute. She was no longer bristling with anger and fury and as she looked at him her eyes looked quite irritated and wet.

"Somepony... some_body_ as awesome as you are... doesn't have to go telling what he heard some little pegasus talking about... right?"

"It is indeed a matter that Princess Celestia must be informed about," he stated. The look of terror on her face was immediate but she wasn't allowed to speak. "However I believe it is a matter reserved for you to discuss when you believe the time is right. It isn't something she needs to hear from me."

He could almost _feel_ the pegasus relaxing before him at hearing the news. It was all quite pitiful really. Did Princess Celestia fully understand just _who_ she had entrusted the safety of Equestria to when she provided these... ponies... with the Elements of Harmony?

Perhaps _that_ was why Discord had seen fit to bring him here. Perhaps the agent of chaos held a similar view and believed a change was necessary for this world's safety. That was certainly something that would make some measure of sense... but at the same time it created new problems that didn't make sense and would need to be addressed.

"Thanks."

His attention was drawn back to Rainbow Dash yet again. She was a most curious pony to associate with. She quickly alternated in terms of opinions held towards others depending on various interactions. Earlier she was calling him a jerk, now she was confiding in him as if she could trust him despite the relatively short duration of their having known one another.

"Now it's my turn to ask the questions. Why do you not fear me? Out of all those you associate with, Fluttershy is the only one to see me for what I truly am. She is wise to have fear regarding me. You and the others may have concern, but you don't visibly regard me as a predator. Why?"

It was a matter that was completely illogical. They all knew what he was; a ghost, a devourer of souls, a murderer and strong enough to beat a full grown bull dragon into submission without even having to fully exert himself. And yet only Fluttershy seemed to truly regard him with the severity the situation warranted. It was a mystery that he wanted to get to the bottom of.

"Huh?" she asked curiously as she blinked, his question completely catching her off guard. "Well I can't really speak for the others and what motivates them. But me in particular? I dunno really," she replied and shrugged, "sure you're... different... but you never really struck me as _that_ much of a threat to us. I mean sure you stomped the hay outta that dragon and everything but...I dunno. I can't really explain it. It's just sorta... seems right I guess?"

It wasn't an explanation that made sense to him. Despite knowing about what he was, despite seeing what he could do without even seriously trying, these ponies still didn't regard him as he should be. He wasn't even certain if Princess Celestia still regarded him with a healthy level of suspicion and distrust. Was this entire dimension built upon the concept of second chances being passed out to everyone and everything so freely? Were these ponies genetically engineered in a manner that rendered them predisposed to trying to find some measure of good even in the worst? Discord was alive. Princess Luna was alive. The dragon from earlier today was alive. _He_ was alive. In Hueco Mundo such threats would be terminated immediately.

"There's a matter that must be tended to in the library. I must depart for now," he replied and disappeared in a flash of sonido, leaving nothing behind but a booming echo of static and one very confused pegasus sitting on the roof and looking around.

"I've _gotta_ learn how he does that," Rainbow Dash stated.

* * *

Based on his preliminary observations it seemed safe to categorize Twilight Sparkle as partially nocturnal in nature. She seemed to keep stranger hours than the rest of the ponies and remained awake later in the evening than others for the purpose of reading. It seemed only logical that she would be in the library tonight while the others slumbered.

Fortunately that wasn't the case. On this night Twilight Sparkle was absent and that left him free reign of the unrestricted section of the library, the purple unicorn likely slumbering away like the rest of the ponies, minus Princess Luna's staff that currently stood by the doorway. Not that he expected anything less from one of the rulers, he was still a threat and rightly regarded as such. If Princess Luna had decided to engage in a different practice he would be... disappointed. At least Princess Luna seemed to regard him with more seriousness than Princess Celestia who allowed him to travel without an escort this day.

The absence of other ponies meant an uninterrupted chance to further study the history of Equestria. New questions and mysteries had arisen over the course of this day and they warranted further study; something that couldn't be done when being asked an endless supply of questions. But at the moment it appeared safe to conclude that such an interruption wouldn't occur.

Nevertheless he still chose to remain perched at the top of one of the taller bookshelves. Above the ground few would be able to locate him unless they knew to look all the way up in this particular spot of the library.

"Ulquiorra Cifer, art thou in here?"

So much for uninterrupted research. He'd sensed her long before he saw her, but he'd hoped she was simply coming in to pick up some reading material for a dull stretch of her watch when there were no duties to tend to. Sadly that was not the case as she was looking for him. Fortunately she didn't seem aware of him as she was currently walking past where he was perched. That... could have possibilities.

Without a word he closed his book and slid it under his left arm, stepped off the ledge and plummeted to the floor, landing feet first with a loud bang upon impact directly behind her. The sudden commotion in the otherwise quiet library startled the younger sister, and made her both jump and yelp, before turning around to see what the noise was.

"Thou art indeed a jerk!" Princess Luna stated and scowled at him, not appreciating the scare in the least. A scowl that failed to move him and instead was returned by his standard emotionless look. She was the first one to blink. She had more important things to tend to rather than attempting to stare him down in a useless manner. However he was the first one to speak.

"What do you want?"

Blunt and straight to the point. She expected no less of him. Nevertheless it was hardly enough to dissuade her.

"We came to see if all was well. Considering this night 'tis a slumber party thou didst depart quite early. Thou left before the "fun" could begin," she explained.

"The concept of "fun" is of no interest to me. It is nothing more than a waste of time and not worth engaging in for any reason," Ulquiorra replied and reopened the book to continue reading where he left off, paying no attention to the frown Princess Luna was currently giving him.

"Thou are most stubborn and unpleasant to associate with," she stated and continued to frown at him.

"And despite knowing that fact from the beginning, for some reason you felt compelled to directly involve your sister's student because you believed I was worth it for whatever reason. I can't help but question why," Ulquiorra replied as if her statement meant absolutely nothing to him. He continued reading through the paragraph he was on before casting an aside glance at her and continuing. "What was your motivation for going behind your sister's back to involve Twilight Sparkle and her company when dealing with me?"

"We believed that thee might benefit from experiencing kindness and friendship firsthoof. However we art no longer fully certain of that being correct. After all the goodness we ourselves experienced we didst have hope that thee might benefit in the same manner. But thou doth have no interest in such. We can see that we hath wasted our time," Princess Luna stated.

"You're lying," Ulquiorra stated simply and paused to slowly turn the page to continue the current paragraph. "If you have no desire to share the true motivations for your actions then it's of no consequence to me. However do not waste my time by spinning deceit as to what motivated you to go behind your sister's back in such a treacherous manner. I can only speculate that you must have had strong motivations to do such, knowing there would be consequences once your actions were found out."

Silence once again filled the library, neither party speaking any further. The only noises heard were the occasional turning of a page and Princess Luna's own breathing.

"Guards. Depart from here."

The shadow guards blinked at the command of their Princess breaking the still silence of the library. The order was confusing in nature but they did as ordered and left the entrance way to the library.

Princess Luna remained silent, monitoring as they left. Once she felt they were far enough away she turned to Ulquiorra and faced him directly. "What we hath to say may never be heard by anypony else under any circumstances. The ramifications could be most disastrous to the harmony of the kingdom."

Another one? Why did these ponies choose to view him as if he was a trustworthy confidant? He hadn't been in Equestria more than a few days, certainly not long enough to even try and craft the image of someone that could be trusted. Was this the work of Discord or were they naturally this trusting of strangers? Perhaps an inborn desire to _want_ to trust others and see the good in them? If he pressed Princess Celestia would she have freely shared the facts relating the Elements of Harmony with him?

Considering her actions with Discord's rehabilitation it was entirely possible that she would have done just that.

"I understand," he replied. However he truly didn't understand the matter at all. It was all a mystery, but pressing her for details didn't seem promising. It was yet another matter he would have to further research at a later date.

"... Thou art not truly the first devourer of souls this land hath bore witness to," Princess Luna said as she looked him straight in the eyes, demanding his full and undivided attention as she spoke. Her entire posture was broadcasting the fact that he wasn't to speak while she was speaking. "One thousand and three years ago... when we became Nightmare Moon... we didst engage in such an act ourselves, but not of our own volition. The foul demon didst need souls to sustain its form and maintain control over our mind and body and to bolster its strength to properly contend with our dear sister," she explained, although not anywhere near a level that could be mistaken for calm. Her entire body was trembling as she spoke and her voice was shaky.

"By the time our dear sister was able to intervene it was already too late. The foul demon that possessed our body had devoured the souls of seventeen young foals that night in order to maintain itself... including the soul of young pegasus filly that was very dear to us... to _me_..."

He said nothing as Princess Luna spoke. However he did close his current book and tuck it back under his arm. This turn of events warranted his full attention.

"Our dear sister ensured that these facts were buried for she knew what harm would occur should they ever get out. She ensured the details of that night were buried with us, never to see the light of day again. And we art thankful that she did. But even though the demon that possessed us is forever gone, the knowledge of what we did is not. We will live on for eternity and forever remember the looks of horror on their faces; as we watched helplessly at what we were forced on that accursed night!"

Ulquiorra remained silent as Princess Luna talked. The story had some surreal quality to it and it seemed hard to believe. But her posture and body language told him that it was most certainly not any type of attempt at humor. The shaking of her shoulders as she dropped to her haunches wasn't the kind of shaking witnessed when one was attempting to suppress a laugh, that much he was certain of.

"Thou doth wish to know why we didst involve Twilight Sparkle as we did? Because we didst hope that if thou could find friendship and be forgiven even with all that thee hath done then... then maybe one day there wouldst be hope for us as well, and we too could be forgiven for all that we didst do!"

Rainbow Dash's confession had been about the betrayal by her friends in response to some insufficiently explained incident back in Ponyville. Leaving her feeling resentful towards them but forced to maintain a false image of everything being fine, the whole recollection being made in anger.

Princess Luna's confession had been about the entity of Nightmare Moon possessing her body and using it in the slaughter of their subjects for the simple purpose of sustaining its own life, to try and do battle with Princess Celestia, forcing its host to watch everything as it unfolded. Unlike Rainbow Dash, her recollection was made in sadness but delivered in neutral-to-anger terms, and lacked the same emotional resonance.

Rainbow Dash was able to resist crying, as she recounted how her friends had gone out of their way to engage in a cruel prank and attack not only her trust in them, but her own sense of self worth. Princess Luna was not as able, and now sat on the library floor, unable to control the tears that were currently escaping.

Why did these ponies believe he was so trustworthy? Why did they feel he could be confided in, and why did they believe he even cared about their problems enough to hear them? Did Princess Celestia know what her sister was doing right now? It was all very confusing to him.

Even more confusing -and outright disturbing- was the feeling of discomfort he was experiencing as Princess Luna cried freely. How -and why- was he being affected like this?

_"Perhaps I was too hasty in accepting Discord's offer,"_ he thought as he turned his attention back to the book to begin reading again in an effort to tune out the wails of the Moon Princess before him. _"Perhaps I should have simply remained in the void and awaited my fate. Surely hell can't be as bad as this."_

* * *

Morning once again returned to Equestria, once again bringing the change in rule as Princess Celestia raised the sun to begin the new day. It meant Princess Luna retiring for the day and no longer crying in his presence, lamenting over the actions of her alter ego a thousand years ago. The new day also meant the holders of the Elements of Harmony would be returning to Ponyville to continue about their everyday lives. More importantly though, the new day meant he would be able to continue his studies undisturbed and gain a better understanding of his surroundings.

"What is it you want?"

Or at least he could if Princess Celestia wasn't making her way into the library. A peaceful opportunity to study in silence seemed unlikely the way things were proceeding.

"The train back to Ponyville is leaving in half an hour," Princess Celestia explained, unfazed by the bluntness of Ulquiorra's manners of address. "I came to see if you wanted to see the others off before they returned home."

"No," Ulquiorra replied simply and turned his attention back to the book in his hands, saying nothing further despite feeling Princess Celestia looking at him. He had no reason and no motivation to watch the others leave. It was nothing more than a waste of time and a useless gesture to engage in. There were more important matters at hand right now.

Silence once again washed over the library except for the occasional turning of pages. Princess Celestia said nothing further, simply turning and leaving the library.

"Do you believe they'll talk about what they experienced yesterday?" Ulquiorra asked, waiting until she was just about to step out of the library before finally speaking up.

"How do you mean?" Princess Celestia asked as she stepped back closer to him, curious at the sudden breach of silence.

"Yesterday they were made aware of details pertaining to who I am, what I am and what I did back in my world. Do you believe they'll spread this information around Equestria through gossip or do you believe they'll refrain from such, and hide the fact that you have an unrepentant murderer as your newest subject?" he asked.

So that's what he meant. It was certainly a good question. So many new and unexpected details coming to light in such a short amount of time, some of her little ponies prone to talking about things that they shouldn't. It made sense that he'd be concerned about the possibility of such.

"I don't believe they'll go blabbing about what they heard. They're intelligent enough to understand that if all the details got out it would cause panic all over Equestria from those that are less informed. There are certain things the populace is better off not knowing and they're quite aware of that fact. I don't believe even Pinkie would want to go and terrify everypony with tales of a strange being whose exploits sound like something out of a story book. Your secret will be safe with them," she explained calmly.

"Hopefully they possess more restraint than Princess Luna when it comes to maintaining secrets."

"... Pardon?" Princess Celestia asked after a moment of confusion. What was he talking about? What had Luna been talking about?

Ulquiorra left her waiting until he was done reading the current paragraph before addressing her again.

"Your sister was all too willing to inform me how as Nightmare Moon she engaged in devouring the souls of several of your subjects before she was finally stopped. One would expect such knowledge would be more carefully guarded and not handed out so freely to someone new to the dimension. The ramifications to be had should such information ever become public knowledge would be quite disastrous. Your entire kingdom might tear itself apart with outrage and panic. The diarchy would suffer greatly and there would be widespread distrust to contend with, possibly a civil war as well," he explained calmly while slowly turning around to face her. "You're trusting your subjects with information of a most sensitive nature. Finding out about one murderer would be bad enough. I don't care to consider what the populace of this land would do should they ever find out there are _two_, one of whom is a ruler of theirs. For your sake and theirs I hope that you're right in the placement of your trust."

If Princess Celestia was prone to the same violations of the rules of physics as Pinkie Pie, he suspected her jaw would be on the floor by now. But for whatever reason she wasn't talking and he didn't feel compelled to ask why or even face her right now.

"Luna... Luna told you about that?" she asked after a long stretch of silence.

"Readily. I must say I'm mildly surprised, more by the fact that so many are so willing to trust me with their secrets than the details of what she did," Ulquiorra replied. However before Princess Celestia could get a word in edgewise he continued talking. "Do you now plan on having me executed after this revelation?"

She frowned. Was Ulquiorra deliberately going out of his way to taunt her with the fact that he knew more about the Diarchy than the rest of Equestria did? Was he challenging her? Was he trying to determine if she was soft in her rule and unable to make hard decisions when required? Even with everything she'd seen in his mind, there was still a great deal about him she didn't know or fully understand.

Why did Discord have to put her in such a position? Surely if he was interested in making her miserable there were easier ways to go about it.

"... At present I don't believe that's necessary," she finally replied and stepped closer. "The number of those who know growing from two to three really doesn't prove to be much of a threat. And so far you haven't given me any reason to believe that you aren't trustworthy or a blabbermouth. So long as I'm certain that the kingdom isn't in any danger I believe we can fully avoid any unpleasantries such as that."

The irony of her statement, was she even aware of how much her statement contained? She spoke of his trustworthiness despite having no trust of him. She kept him under watch through her guards, carefully monitored him during their interactions and engaged in various other methods of trying to gauge whether or not he was a potential threat and how much danger he posed. She regarded him as a security issue to the point she had bound his resurrección and prevented its release and even placed her student Twilight Sparkle in charge of him when he wasn't in their presence. And yet she spoke of trust when there was none on her part?

Most curious indeed.

"Then let us try and avoid unpleasantries," Ulquiorra replied and directed his attention back to the book at hand.

"Indeed," she replied and nodded, despite the fact he couldn't see it. "I believe I'll go see Twilight and her friends off now. Should I give them your regards?"

"Do whatever you wish, it makes no difference to me," Ulquiorra replied. If Princess Celestia desired to lie to her subjects who was he to stop her from doing so?

Without another word she turned and headed out the library, leaving Ulquiorra alone and to his own devices, with the exception of the two unicorn guards standing by the entrance. She trusted that he could keep himself busy enough in his research that she wasn't needed to guide him.

However when Luna awoke, she would definitely need to have another discussion with her about the importance of secrets.


End file.
